Predicting short-term response to thrust and nonthrust manipulation and exercise in patients post inversion ankle...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
• Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
• Clinical Epidemiology

Background:

• Limited research exists on predicting treatment success for inversion ankle sprains using clinical examination findings.
• Manual therapy and exercise are common interventions, but identifying suitable candidates is crucial for optimizing outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a clinical prediction rule (CPR) for identifying patients with inversion ankle sprains who are likely to benefit from manual therapy and exercise.
• To enhance the effectiveness of treatment selection for acute ankle injuries.

Main Methods:

• A prospective-cohort study involving patients with inversion ankle sprains.
• Patients received standardized examination, manual therapy (thrust and nonthrust manipulation), and general mobility exercises.
• Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify predictor variables for successful treatment outcomes.

Main Results:

• A clinical prediction rule (CPR) with four variables was developed.
• The CPR accurately identified patients likely to achieve successful outcomes (75% success rate in the cohort).
• Presence of three out of four variables maximized the rule's accuracy, increasing the probability of success to 95%.

Conclusions:

• The developed CPR enables clinicians to identify patients with inversion ankle sprains who are likely to experience rapid short-term success with manual therapy and exercise.
• This tool can guide treatment decisions and improve patient outcomes for ankle sprains.