[A rare injury of the ankle in competition skiiers].

Abstract

Ankle ligamentous injuries have become rare since high and rigid boots are used in alpine skiing because tibio-talar and foot movements are almost impossible. However, in extreme competition conditions, external rotation of the ankle is possible in the ski boot. These are slalom accidents where the leg is forced suddenly in external rotation when straddling a gate. This movement leads to a collision between talus and distal fibula opening the tibio-fibular joint. The anterior tibio-fibular ligament is first torn. We report a series of 13 cases collected in a 17 years experience in the FIS-World Cup.