INTRINSIC PREDICTORS OF LATERAL ANKLE SPRAIN IN ADOLESCENT DANCERS: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

▸ Hiller CE, Refshauge KM, Herbert RD, Kilbreath SL. Clin J Sport Med 2008;18:44–8.

Background:

Lateral ankle ligament sprains are very common, particularly in dancers. Risk factors for ankle sprains in this group require investigation

Research question/s:

What are the intrinsic predictors of lateral ankle sprain in adolescent dancers?

Methodology:

Subjects: 115 adolescent dancers (female = 94, male = 21, age 14.2 (SD 1.8) years)

Experimental procedure: All the dancers underwent assessment and 18 possible predictors of ankle injury were measured (15 clinical measures, three laboratory measures — including age, dance history, previous ankle sprain, ankle and foot laxity and range of motion, and balance). Dancers were followed monthly for 13 months and lateral ankle ligament injuries were recorded. One ankle of each dancer was randomly assigned to a test group and used to develop a predictive model (PR = 114), and the other was assigned to a validation group to test the model (VL = 112). Using a backwards stepwise Cox regression model, the PR group was used to predict ankle sprains in the VL group

Measures of outcome: Hazard ratio (HR) of ankle sprain for each predictor

Main finding/s:

A previous sprain of the contralateral ankle predicted ankle sprain in the VL (HR  =  3.90, CI 1.49 to 10.22)

Conclusion/s:

In a prospective cohort study in dancers, a past history of a lateral ankle sprain was associated with an increased risk of a future sprain in the contralateral ankle …