Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Posterior ankle impingement is a common cause of chronic ankle pain. Although nonoperative treatment is initially preferred, there are surgical options if the symptoms are persistent. Minimally invasive arthroscopic procedures reduce surgical trauma and enable an early return to routine activities. CASE REPORT: We conducted a study including 6 patients who underwent arthroscopic decompression for posterior ankle impingement. Five of them were female patients and one was a male patient. The pathology varied; one had os trigonum (OT), two had stieda processes (SP), and three had OT with posterior osteophyte complex as part of ankle arthritis. In this paper, we discuss the required clinical approach, preoperative investigations, surgical indications, functional outcomes, and complications of arthroscopic treatment. The patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months and evaluated using American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and range of movement (ROM) pre and post-operatively. All the patients reported a significant reduction of pain and an improved ROMs and functional scores at the operated ankles compared to the opposite side. However, one of the patients developed post-operative tingling and numbness at the plantar aspect of the forefoot. Another one developed tingling at the lateral plantar aspect of the foot. One of the patients with SP, had an incomplete excision of the lesion. CONCLUSION: Ankle arthroscopy is an effective and minimally invasive surgery that has a significant role in managing chronic ankle pain due to posterior impingement that does not respond to conservative management and provides good functional outcomes with minimal complications.