During the year March 1983 to February 1984 we experienced 63 cases of ligament injuries to the ankle. 6 of these cases were treated surgically. Pre-operative stress X-rays revealed that the talar tilt angles ranged from 7 to 20 degrees and the anterior displacements of the talus ranged from 6 to 14mm. The increased rate of talar tilt angle was 5 degrees or more compared to the sound side. Primary repairs were carried out in 4 cases during the acute phase and reconstructions with modified Watson-Jones method were carried out in 2 cases who had disabling instability due to chronic lesions. Complete tear of the anterior talofibular ligament was found in all cases. Complete or partial tear of the calcaneofibular ligament were each found in 3 cases. All cases improved anatomically and clinically during the follow up time of between 3 and 14 months after the operation. From our experience we conclude that surgical repair is the first choice of treatment in a suspected case of severe lesion of the lateral ligament of the ankle.