The effect of a balance training program on the risk of ankle sprains in high school athletes.
BACKGROUND
Ankle sprains are the most common musculoskeletal injuries that occur in athletes, and they have a profound impact on health care costs and resources.


OBJECTIVE
A balance training program can reduce the risk of ankle sprains in high school athletes.


METHODS
Randomized controlled clinical trial; Level of evidence, 1.


METHODS
Seven hundred and sixty-five high school soccer and basketball players (523 girls and 242 boys) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (27 teams, 373 subjects) that participated in a balance training program or to a control group (28 teams, 392 subjects) that performed only standard conditioning exercises. On-site athletic trainers recorded athlete exposures and sprains.


RESULTS
The rate of ankle sprains was significantly lower for subjects in the intervention group (6.1%, 1.13 of 1000 exposures vs 9.9%, 1.87 of 1000 exposures; P = .04). Athletes with a history of an ankle sprain had a 2-fold increased risk of sustaining a sprain (risk ratio, 2.14), whereas athletes who performed the intervention program decreased their risk of a sprain by one half (risk ratio, 0.56). The ankle sprain rate for athletes without previous sprains was 4.3% in the intervention group and 7.7% in the control group, but this difference was not significant (P = .059).


CONCLUSIONS
A balance training program will significantly reduce the risk of ankle sprains in high school soccer and basketball players.
University of Wisconsin, Hospital and Clinics, Sports Medicine Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. ta.mcguine@hosp.wisc.edu
Timothy A
TA
McGuine
James S
JS
Keene
D000293:Adolescent; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D013177:Sports; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000517:prevention & control*