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Functional Effects of Ankle Sprain

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Abstract

Ankle sprain is one of the most common sports-related injuries and can lead to recurrences and chronic ankle instability (CAI). In the acute phase, ankle sprain patients experience mostly pain, limited ankle mobility, and reduced ankle muscle strength. CAI patients have a history of their ankle “giving way” and/or “feeling unstable,” after at least one significant ankle sprain. They continue to suffer from pain and impaired performance during functional tasks. Both acute ankle sprains and CAI have a negative influence on daily life activities such as walking, sports-related activities such as jump landings, as well as on patients’ perception of health and function. Functional deficits should be carefully assessed for appropriate clinical decision making and to propose the most suitable, individualized (physiotherapeutic) intervention. Acute ankle sprains are first treated according to the rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) protocol. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may also be recommended for pain management. A short period of immobilization by means of a lower leg cast can facilitate rapid decrease in pain and swelling. Afterward, functional exercise therapy is recommended. In the case of CAI, patients should wear external ankle support during sporting activities to reduce the risk of recurring sprains and undergo exercise therapy including balance and muscle strengthening exercises. New technologies could be implemented in future rehabilitation programs in order to offer athletes greater flexibility in terms of training time and more varied, sports-related, exercises at home.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, CAPHRI, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Ilona M. Punt

  2. Department of Physical Therapy, University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Carouge, Switzerland

    Ilona M. Punt & Lara Allet

  3. Department of Community Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Lara Allet

Authors
  1. Ilona M. Punt
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  2. Lara Allet
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Correspondence to Ilona M. Punt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Motion & More, Barcelona, Spain

    Bertram Müller

  2. Klinik für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgi, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Sebastian I. Wolf

  3. Institut for Biomechanics und Orthopedic, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Gert-Peter Brueggemann

  4. Houston, Texas, USA

    Zhigang Deng

  5. ACRISP, FedUniversity, Cremorne, New South Wales, Australia

    Andrew McIntosh

  6. Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Freeman Miller

  7. Research, C-Motion, Inc., Germantown, Maryland, USA

    William Scott Selbie

Section Editor information

  1. duPont Hospital for Children, Box 269, 19899, Wilmington, DE, USA

    Freeman Miller

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Punt, I.M., Allet, L. (2016). Functional Effects of Ankle Sprain. In: Müller, B., et al. Handbook of Human Motion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30808-1_72-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30808-1_72-1

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