The ankle joint is a connection between the foot and lower leg. Primarily, a hinged synovial joint up-and-down movement (plantarflexion and dorsiflexion), the ankle is a hinge type of joint. It is divided into the upper ankle joint (tibiotarsal articulation) and lower ankle joint (talotarsal articulation). The range of motion of the ankle and subtalar joints is taken together, the complex functions as a universal joint. The upper ankle joint is a hinge joint. Its main task is to enable dorsiflexion (stretching) and plantar flexion (bending). The upper ankle joint is composed of the three bones the fibula or the calf bone, the tibia or the shin bone and the talus or the ankle bone. The bony anatomy of the lower ankle joint is less complex as it basically consists of the talus, the calcaneus or the heel bone and the navicular bone. The front part of the lower ankle joint (talocalcaneonavicular articulation) is an articulation between talus, calcaneus and navicular bone. The back part of the lower ankle joint is an articulation between talus and calcaneus and is called subtalar joint. The anatomy of the ankle complex is aided to numerous ligaments of the syndesmosis and the deltoid ligament are common sites of injury. The complex anatomy of the ankle joint makes the fracture/dislocations a major injury.
