According to researchers, players in these programs suffered 40 percent fewer ankle sprains than individuals in the control group.

“This new data can be used by clinicians to provide evidence-based recommendations to their patients,” said Dr. Nathan Grimm, an orthopedic surgeon and researcher at Duke University. “It can also be used by coaches who wish to implement programs that will decrease the risk of injuries in athletes, and by the athletes who are trying to make the decision about participating in an injury prevention program.”

Soccer and Ankle Injury Prevention

Ankle injuries are one of if not the most common injury suffered by soccer players. The injuries can range from mild soreness to severe high ankle sprains and even ankle fractures. Considering how often ankle injuries occur, it’s no surprise that researchers were eager to see if they could develop treatment programs to reduce their likelihood.

For their study, researchers reviewed 10 different studies involving over 4,000 male and female soccer players, looking for ankle injuries and whether or not they had gone through some sort of preparation or prevention methods associated with such injuries. Researchers only focused on interventions such as neuromuscular, proprioceptive, strengthening, and stretching exercises while excluding other techniques like ankle bracing or taping.

After looking at the data, researchers uncovered that an athlete’s likelihood of suffering an ankle injury during a soccer practice or game decreased roughly 40 percent when they participated in some form of preventative program.

“This is the first study of its kind on ankle injuries in soccer athletes to strongly support injury prevention programs to reduce ankle injuries,” Grimm said. “In our analysis, we were able to review the results from multiple studies, and make conclusions we could not make from any one study by itself.”

It’s not too shocking that athletes who strengthen their ankles are less likely to suffer an ankle injury, but the bigger picture is that more athletic programs should consider developing programs that target the ligaments in the ankles. The stronger your ankles are, the less likely they are to roll at an inopportune time.

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The study was helmed by researchers at the University of Athens in Greece. Researchers studied the strength and ankle stability of 100 professional Greek soccer players. The players were tracked over a 10 month period to see how many injured their ankles.

The results of the study showed that players who had a considerable difference in strength between their two feet were 90% more likely to injure one of their ankles, compared to those whose ankles were roughly the same strength.

This sort of ankle instability is all too common in soccer, as well as other endurance sports. With this study in mind, it’s important for athletes to strengthen their ankles and feet as evenly as possible.

“The results of this study are not surprising at all,” says Ankle Surgeon, Dr. Lance Silverman. “It’s the same thing we see over and over again in professional basketball and football players. When one ankle is unstable, the player will put more strength and confidence into the other ankle, often resulting in an overuse injury or a sprain.”

Related Sources:

themedguru.com

The post Ankle Sprains most Common When One Ankle is Stronger appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.