Background: The modified Broström (MB) procedure has long been the mainstay for the treatment of chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI). Recently, suture tape (ST) has emerged as augmentation for this repair. The clinical benefit of such augmentation has yet to be fully established. The purpose of this study was to determine if ST augmentation provides an advantage over the traditional MB. Methods: Adult patients were identified for inclusion in the study based on indications for primary lateral ligament reconstruction for CLAI. The primary outcome measure was time to return to preinjury level of activity (RTPAL). Secondary outcome measures included complications, ability to participate in an accelerated rehabilitation protocol (ARP), patient-reported outcomes (PROs), and visual analog pain scale (VAS). A total of 119 patients with CLAI were enrolled and randomized to the MB (59 patients) or ST (60 patients) treatment arm. Results: Average RTPAL was 17.5 weeks after MB and 13.3 weeks after ST ( P < .001). At 26 weeks, 12.5% of patients in the MB group and 3.6% of patients in the ST group had not managed RTPAL ( P = .14). The complication rate was 8.5% in the MB group vs 1.7% in the ST group ( P = .12). Four patients in the MB group failed to complete the ARP vs 1 in the ST group ( P = .144). Conclusion: Results from this multicenter, prospective, randomized trial suggest that ST augmentation allows for earlier RTPAL than MB alone. ST augmentation may support successful accelerated rehabilitation and did not result in increased complications or morbidity. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective comparative study.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.