Apoptosis Occurs in the Anterior Talofibular Ligament of Patients With Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability: An In Vitro Study.

Background: Chronic lateral ankle instability is treated operatively, whereas most acute ankle sprains associated with acute anterior talofibular ligament injury are usually treated nonoperatively. This treatment strategy is widely accepted and has been validated using a variety of clinical or radiological methods. We suspected that there may be biological differences between chronic and acutely injured ligaments, particularly with respect to apoptosis.