The ankle joint has medial and lateral ligaments which help to keep it stable.

As the “fibular” part of the name suggests, the anterior talofibular ligament is one of the lateral ligaments. There are three ligaments in this lateral ligament complex:

• anterior talofibular ligament
• posterior talofibular ligament
• calcaneofibular ligament.

This ligament is the most commonly injured ligament in a sprained ankle. Since the ligament stabilises the lateral side of the ankle, you can image from seeing its position, if the ankle is forced into inversion, this ligament will come under a lot of strain leading to a tear.

Check out our 3D atlas where you can visualise and interact with the ankle joint yourself.