The ankle and the foot

Abstract

In many general musculoskeletal practices, injections into the foot and ankle regions are not as commonly performed as are injections into other body regions. For example, in a 2-year musculoskeletal injection teaching study, injections into the foot/ankle region were the least commonly performed (1.6% of the total) [1]. Perhaps one reason for the relative paucity of injections into the foot and ankle regions is the principle that injections into the foot should generally be avoided if possible in diabetic patients. In addition, aspiration/injection procedures have not been proven to be of benefit as part of the typical treatment algorithm for typical soft tissue ankle injuries such as the usual (inversion) ankle sprain, one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions involving the foot/ankle region [2]. Furthermore, injections into this body region can be quite uncomfortable. Finally, it has traditionally been taught that corticosteroid injection procedures should be avoided into regions of weight-bearing tendons, particularly the posterior tibial tendon and the Achilles tendon regions. In contrast to their comparatively smaller incidence in general musculoskeletal practice, these injections obviously play a potentially large role in the practice of orthopedic foot/ankle surgeons and podiatrists both for therapeutic purposes and by offering diagnostic information, particularly when arthrodesis or other surgical interventions are being considered [3-5]. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.