Supervised exercises for adults with acute lateral ankle sprain: a randomised controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Acute ankle sprains are common injuries.
• The optimal rehabilitation strategy following an acute ankle sprain remains debated.
• The role of supervised exercise in conjunction with conventional treatment is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of conventional treatment plus supervised exercises versus conventional treatment alone for acute ankle sprains.
• To assess both short-term and long-term outcomes.
• To evaluate subjective recovery and the incidence of re-injury.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• 102 adult patients with acute lateral ankle sprains were enrolled.
• Patients received either conventional treatment with supervised exercises or conventional treatment alone, with outcomes assessed at multiple time points up to one year.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding subjective recovery.
• The occurrence of re-injury did not differ significantly between the supervised exercise group and the conventional treatment-only group.
• These findings held true at both 3-month and 1-year follow-up points.

Conclusions:

• Adding supervised exercises to conventional treatment does not enhance subjective recovery after an acute lateral ankle sprain.
• Supervised exercise does not reduce the rate of re-injury in the first year post-injury compared to conventional care alone.
• Conventional treatment alone appears sufficient for managing acute lateral ankle sprains in terms of recovery and re-injury prevention.