Diagnostic Ultrasonography in Physiotherapy

Ankle injuries are among the most common traumatological injuries of the lower limb accounting for approximately 50% of all sports injuries and 25% of musculoskeletal injuries in general. Correct initial diagnosis and proper management is important to reduce the risk of recurrent ankle instability and other complications, such as reduced range of motion, increased ligament laxity, instability, tendon enthesopathy, possible swelling, formation of calcifications, reduced load on the affected limbs while standing and walking, increased pain intensity and pain duration. To date, few studies showed that the effectiveness of physical therapy increases when it is modified based on diagnostic ultrasonography findings. Sonography is not burdensome for the patient, has high reproducibility, and enables dynamic examination and comparison of the interrelationships of individual structures. The aim of this study is to investigate if targeted physiotherapy for post-traumatic ankle conditions designed based of diagnostic ultrasonography findings is more effective than standard physiotherapy. The study hypothesis is that in the experimental group there will be a smaller number of complications of post-traumatic ankle conditions than in the control group. If confirmed the study could have clinical implications.