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| Research Title: |
Management of ankle sprains: a randomised controlled trial of the treatment of inversion injuries using an elastic support bandage or an Aircast ankle brace. |
| Type of Research: |
Media Kit |
| Category: |
Rehabilitation
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| Keywords: |
Ankle brace
Ankle injury
Ankle sprain
Taping
Elastic support
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| Author(s): |
S H Boyce, M A Quigley, S Campbell |
| Author(s) Bio Box: |
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| Release Date: |
14 February 2007 |
| Research Summary/Text: |
Although ankle ligament sprains are the single most common sports injury, there is no common approach to their management. Management strategies can be divided into three main categories: cast immobilisation, operative repair, and functional treatment (bandage or ankle brace and mobilisation). The focus of this study is the use of bandage and ankle brace in the functional treatment of the injury.
Fifty adult patients presenting to the Accident and Emergency Department of two hospitals in the UK participated in the study. Each patient was allocated to use either an elastic support bandage or a semi-rigid ankle brace. Aircast. Standard data was collected from each participant including age, sex and whether they had previously sustained an ankle injury (26%). Ankle girth (swelling) and pain scores were measured. All were given a standardised advice sheet based on the principles of rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) following an acute soft tissue injury. Ankle joint function was measured at 10 days and again at one month, and ankle girth and pain scores at 10
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| Research Objectives: |
The research compares two commonly used treatments for moderate to severe ankle sprains - an elastic support bandage and an ankle brace - to determine which provides the best functional outcome.
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| Research Outcomes: |
The research does not prove that patients treated with elastic support bandage derived no benefit. Rather it demonstrated that independent of the treatment used, the injury improved progressively with time. There was however a statistically significant improvement in the functional outcome of the ankle joint present in the group of people using the ankle brace at both 10 days and one month after injury. People in this group also reported a great deal of comfort and satisfaction using the brace. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to ankle girth (swelling) and pain scores.
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| Research Implications: |
The use of an ankle brace tends to be limited to sports groups or teams that are supervised by either physiotherapists or sports medicine practitioners. On the basis of current evidence provided by this and previous research, functional treatment of moderate to severe ankle sprain injuries should entail the use of ankle brace and early mobilisation to reduce the potential for long term residual complications.
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