Effect of Acupuncture as Seen in Stress Radiography of the Ankle

When studying ankle instability by stress radiography, pain and muscle spasm can prevent maximal widening of the tibiotalar ankle joint and cause a false negative finding. We examined the effect of acupuncture on widening of the tibiotalar joint during stress radiography in a series of 12 asymptomatic volunteers and 12 patients. The width of the tibiotalar joint increased in 66% of the volunteers. The diagnosis changed for two patients and became more confident for four others (50%).