Osteochondral lesions of the talus in the athlete: up to date review

Purpose of review: Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) are common injuries in athletes. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively review the clinical results and return to sport capacity in athletes following treatment for OLT. Recent findings: Reparative procedures, such as bone marrow stimulation, and replacement procedures, such as autologous osteochondral transplantation, provide good clinical outcomes in short- and mid-term follow-up in the athlete. Recently, biological augmentation and scaffold-based therapies have been shown to improve clinical and radiological outcomes in OLT in both the general population and athletes. Summary: Most studies are of a low level of evidence. Studies analyzing the return to sport capability in athletes are further lacking. High-level evidence and well-designed clinical trials are required to establish the most effective treatment protocol.