Abstract: Objective To analyze the clinical significance of sports medicine ultrasound examination for anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) patients at different rehabilitation stages.Methods A total of 72 ATFL patients treated from Juanuary 2018 to May 2019 in our hospital were selected as study subjects and divided into control group (n=36, without ultrasonography) and observation group (n=36, with ultrasonography).The rehabilitation effect and time, and ligament injury grading after 1, 2, and 3 months of treatment were observed.Results The complete recovery rate in the observation group (91.67%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (77.78%).The rehabilitation time in the observation group [(2.36±0.29) month was significantly shorter than that in the control group [(3.58±0.42) months] (P＜0.05).After 1, 2, and 3 months of treatment, the ligament injury gradings in the observation group were better than those in the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Sports medicine ultrasound examination can effectively judge injury degree, offer important evidence for clinical treatment schemes and rehabilitation plans to shorten rehabilitation time and promote ankle joint function recovery.

Key words: Rehabilitation therapy, Anterior talofibular ligament, Sports medicine ultrasound, Rehabilitation time