Prospective Study of the Inversion Destabilization Maneuver in the Treatment of Acute Ankle Ligament Injury: Case Series

CATEGORY: Ankle; Sports; Trauma INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE: Ankle sprains are highly prevalent injuries in athletes whether they are amateurs or professionals. It is estimated that around 5,000 sprains occur a day in the UK, while American data point to around 23,000 cases daily (1/10,000 individuals). The world literature has pointed out that about 7 - 10% of orthopedic visits in an emergency service are due to ankle sprains, corresponding to about 25% of all musculoskeletal injuries. The objective of this paper is to present the clinical results obtained from the prospective observation of a series of patients with lateral ankle sprains treated by the destabilization technique in Inversion of the ankle added to the conventional treatment. METHODS: Design Case series, prospective, single center location. The study will be carried out at Hospital São Paulo - University Hospital of UNIFESP (HSP-UNIFESP), at the Orthopedics Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology (DOT)/EPM-UNIFESP. Inclusion criteria - Over 18 years of age of both sexes; - Complaint of ankle sprain up to 48 hours - Complete or partial injury to any of the ligaments of the lateral ankle complex; - Isolated or associated ligament injuries; Non-Inclusion Criteria - Past history of surgery on the affected foot or ankle; - Previous complaint in the ankle region; - Any fracture associated with the sprain or influencing injuries; - Any condition that is a contraindication to the proposed therapies; - Refusal to participate in the study RESULTS: We observed in our series of 100 individuals with lateral ankle sprains 6 new episodes of sprain in a follow-up of 12 month. we did not observe the occurrence of spontaneous ankle sprains in the 6 cases, external causal factors were pointed out by the patients. In 1 case the patient stepped on a squash ball, 1 case the patient had his ankle stepped on during a soccer match, in another case the patient suffered a fall while walking with high heel shoes. We also observed a fall from the stairs, a fall on another player's foot during a volleyball game and in the last case the patient suffered a fall after stepping on a hole in the sidewalk during street racing. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of the present study, we concluded that in a 12-month follow-up, the ankle inversion destabilization maneuver proved to be efficient in preventing new episodes of lateral ankle sprain, however, new studies with a longer follow-up time, as well as and in order to compare the maneuver described in the study with techniques already described in the literature and used by physical therapists in their clinical practice should be performed.