Reliability and responsiveness of disablement measures following acute ankle sprains among athletes

The minimum amount of change which represents clinical improvement following ankle sprains is unknown. This study considers the usefulness of physiological and behavioral measures commonly employed for this purpose in sports rehabilitation settings. Thirteen collegiate athletes of both genders were measured at approximately 3 and 10 days post-grade I or II ankle sprain. Volumetric displacement and sagittal plane ankle range of motion measures were used as impairment indicators. Motor ability scores (activity count) and a perceived athletic ability measure (visual analog scale) were used to indicate functional limitations. Volumetric displacement and both functional limitation measures demonstrated responsiveness to change between two occasions of measurement separated by 1 week. Observed changes in range of motion deficits could not be distinguished from measurement error. The results of this study suggest that behavioral measures of motor activity and perceived athletic ability may be at least as useful as physical measures of organic dysfunction for assessing clinical improvement following acute ankle sprains among athletes.