“Anterior talofibular ligament?”
What does a full-thickness tear of the anterior talofibular ligament mean? Does this require surgery?
2 Answers
Not always. It depends on several factors.
I assume this is based on MRI finding. Not knowing the full context of the injury I am limited, but the ATFL ligament is one of many ligaments on the outside of your ankle and is often injured with an "inversion" type of ankle sprain. If there is no evidence of other ankle instability, it can be treated like a bad ankle sprain and does not require surgery (but does take time to heal!)
