Research

Hormonal

Semaglutide treatment in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) significantly improves patient-reported functional outcomes (FAAM, FAOS, CAIT) and reduces the incidence of recurrent ankle sprains and surgery, with approximately one-third of the benefit mediated by weight loss.

For patients with chronic ankle instability, especially those who are overweight or have type 2 diabetes, semaglutide may offer benefits beyond metabolic control. It is associated with improved ankle function, fewer sprains, and lower surgery rates. While weight loss contributes to this, it is not the only factor. Patients should discuss this potential orthopedic benefit with their prescribing physician, particularly if they are considering surgical intervention for ankle instability.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Semaglutide may show potential benefits as a supplementary intervention in treatment of CAI by improving patient-reported outcomes and preventing recurrent ankle sprains.
Jieyuan Zhang et al. · Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research · 2025

Why this rating

Observational prospective cohort study with large sample size (n=2018) but potential for residual confounding and indication bias as acknowledged by authors.

Source

Effects of semaglutide in patients with chronic ankle instability: evidence from a prospective cohort

Jieyuan Zhang et al. · Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research · 2025

DOI 10.1186/s13018-025-05664-9

cohort · n=2018Cited 1×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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