Cartilage Pathology With Concomitant Ankle Instability

Ankle instability and chondral pathology commonly present together. This review discusses the current evidence for the etiology of chondral lesions, the association between ankle instability and chondral injury, and the optimal method of managing a patient with symptomatic chondral pathology (osteochondral lesions and tibiotalar osteoarthritis) in the setting of an unstable ankle. The literature pool is weak for recommendations on the management of osteophytes and osteoarthritis with ankle instability. Multiple factors do compound dual treatment of osteochondral lesions and instability; however, concomitant surgery addressing both pathologies has been shown to have outcomes comparable to osteochondral surgery alone with similar complication rates.