ULTRASOUND ASSESSMENT AND CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT OF INVERSION INJURIES OF THE ANKLE IN CHILDREN - PLASTER-OF-PARIS VERSUS TUBIGRIP

We studied 45 children who presented with an inversion injury of the a nkle, The clinical signs suggested ipjury to the distal growth plate o f the fibula, but the plain radiographs appeared normal, Ultrasound ex amination of the joint in 40 patients showed a subperiosteal haematoma consistent with a growth-plate injury in 23 (57.5%). Children who had been treated with a tubular bandage and crutches by random selection had a mean time to return of normal activity of 14.22 days compared wi th 21.60 days for those treated with a plaster-of-Paris cast (t = 3.60 , p = 0.0032; d = 7.38, 95% CI 3.0 to 11.8). We conclude that children with inversion ankle injuries who hare clinical signs of injury to th e distal fibular growth plate but a normal radiological appearance, sh ould be treated,vith a tubular bandage and crutches.