E-health intervention for preventing recurrent ankle sprains: a randomised controlled trial in general practice

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• Ankle sprains are common injuries encountered in general practice.
• Currently, no universally effective treatment exists for acute lateral ankle sprains.
• Recurrent ankle sprains significantly impact patient quality of life and healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an unsupervised, e-health-supported neuromuscular training program.
• To compare this intervention with usual care alone for patients with acute lateral ankle sprains.
• To assess the impact on re-sprain rates and functional recovery over a 1-year period.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 165 participants aged 14-65 years.
• The intervention group received usual care plus an e-health neuromuscular training program.
• The control group received usual care alone, with outcomes tracked for 52 weeks.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in re-sprain rates was observed between the intervention (20.7%) and control (24.1%) groups.
• Secondary outcomes, including ankle function and pain, also showed no significant differences between groups.
• Adherence to the unsupervised e-health program was notably low at 6.1%.

Conclusions:

• The unsupervised e-health neuromuscular training program did not demonstrate meaningful effects in preventing re-sprains.
• Low adherence rates suggest challenges with this delivery method in a general practice setting.
• Further research is needed to identify optimal treatment strategies and delivery methods for ankle sprain recovery.