Highlights
- •We describe a technique that allows acquisition of the gravity stress view of the ankle while the patient remains seated.
- •The patient is seated on a stable office chair or in a wheelchair with the affected limb placed on a padded stool.
- •The ankle and foot should be 15° internally rotated relative to the floor once the leg has been appropriately positioned.
- •The leg should be held straight with the ankle at the level of the chair seat and radiograph is then obtained.
- •Obtaining the gravity stress view in the seated position offers advantages including better safety and time-efficiency.
Abstract
The ankle gravity stress view (GSV) is often utilized to elucidate instability in
patients with an apparent, isolated lateral malleolus fracture. While this has been
demonstrated to have advantages over the manual external rotation stress test, positioning
in the lateral decubitus position can be difficult, uncomfortable and time-intensive.
We report a simple and safe technique that allows one to obtain a gravity stress view
of the ankle with the patient seated.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to InjuryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Diagnosing deltoid injury in ankle fractures: the gravity stress view.Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2001; : 178-182
- Ankle stress test for predicting the need for surgical fixation of isolated fibular fractures.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2004; 86–A: 2393-2398
- Does medial tenderness predict deep deltoid ligament incompetence in supination-external rotation type ankle fractures?.J Orthop Trauma. 2007; 21: 244-247https://doi.org/10.1097/BOT.0b013e3180413835
- Competence of the deltoid ligament in bimalleolar ankle fractures after medial malleolar fixation.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2000; 82: 843-848
- Comparison of manual and gravity stress radiographs for the evaluation of supination-external rotation fibular fractures.J Bone Jt Surg. 2007; 89: 994-999https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.F.01002
- The use of gravity or manual-stress radiographs in the assessment of supination-external rotation fractures of the ankle.J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2007; 89–B: 1055-1059https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.89B8.19134
- Gravity versus manual external rotation stress view in evaluating ankle stability: a prospective study.Foot Ankle Spec. 2015; 8: 175-179https://doi.org/10.1177/1938640014565048
- When is a simple fracture of the lateral malleolus not so simple? How to assess stability, which ones to fix and the role of the deltoid ligament.Bone Joint J. 2017; 99–B: 851-855https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.99B7.BJJ-2016-1087.R1
- Evaluation and significance of mortise instability in supination external rotation fibula fractures: a review article.Foot Ankle Int. 2018; 39: 865-873https://doi.org/10.1177/1071100718768509
- Weightbearing vs gravity stress radiographs for stability evaluation of supination-external rotation fractures of the ankle.Foot Ankle Int. 2017; 38: 736-744https://doi.org/10.1177/1071100717702589
Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 18, 2019
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.