Lateral Ankle Sprain: Current Strategies of Management and Rehabilitation Short of Surgery

Abstract Background Lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries in competitive sports. Previous studies which investigated muscle strength and proprioception (joint position sense) focused on subjects who sustained ankle sprain with instability. It is also important to investigate strength deficits and proprioception in subjects with a history of ankle sprain without instability. Therefore the aim of the study is to investigate proprioception and muscle strength deficits in athletes with lateral ankle sprain. Methods Twenty-four male athletes with a history of lateral ankle sprain and 24 age-matched controls (mean age of 22.42±4.13 years, mean height of 173±5.73 cm, and mean weight of 71.20±7.55 Kg) participated in this cross-sectional study. Peak torque and peak torque ratio at speeds of 30 and 120°/s for concentric and eccentric ankle inversion/eversion were evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer. The joint position sense of the ankle joint was evaluated using an active angle reproduction test. Result Peak torque produced was significantly less in subjects with history of ankle sprain in concentric inversion 30°/s(t(47)=4.11; p=0.000, Cohen’s d=1.29), concentric inversion 120°/s (t(47)=3.01; p=0.006, Cohen’s d=1.13), concentric eversion 30°/s (t(47)=3.85; p=0.001, Cohen’s d=1.24) and concentric eversion 120°/s (t(47)=3.15; p=0.005, Cohen’s d=1.09). At the same time there was no significant difference observed in eccentric eversion peak torque in both speed (eccentric eversion 30°/s p=0.079; eccentric eversion 120°/s p=0.867) between experimental and control group. No significant difference was found in the joint position sense in the maximal active inversion −5° position (p=0.312) and the 15° inversion position (P=0.386) between both group. Conclusion The study’s results reported a significantly less peak torque of invertors and evertors during concentric movements in athletes with history of ankle sprain. At the same time, no significant difference reported in the evertor/invertor peak torque ratio, and active joint position sense between the 2 groups.

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Predictive Factors of Recovery after an Acute Lateral Ankle Sprain: A Longitudinal Study

Sports ◽

10.3390/sports9030041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Philippe Terrier ◽

Sébastien Piotton ◽

Ilona M. Punt ◽

Jean-Luc Ziltener ◽

Lara Allet

Keyword(s):

Ankle Sprain ◽

Strength Function ◽

Selection Procedure ◽

Ankle Sprains ◽

Lateral Ankle Sprain ◽

Lateral Ankle ◽

Functional Scores ◽

Logistic Regressions ◽

Poor Outcomes ◽

Clinical Measures

A prominent feature of ankle sprains is their variable clinical course. The difficulty of providing a reliable early prognosis may be responsible for the substantial rate of poor outcomes after an ankle sprain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value of objective clinical measures, pain, and functional scores for ankle sprain recovery. Fifty-two participants suffering from lateral ankle sprain were included. Sprain status was assessed four weeks following injury and included evaluations of ankle range of motion, strength, function, and pain. Seven months following injury, a second assessment classified the patients into recovered and non-recovered groups using ankle ability measures. Following a predictor pre-selection procedure, logistic regressions evaluated the association between the four-week predictors and the seven-month recovery status. Twenty-seven participants (52%) fully recovered and 25 did not (48%). The results of the logistic regressions showed that walking pain was negatively associated with the probability of recovering at seven months (odds ratio: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.53–0.95). Pain four weeks after ankle sprain had relevant predictive value for long-term recovery. Special attention should be paid to patients reporting persistent pain while walking four weeks following sprain to reduce the risk of chronicity.

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