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.
McGuine
Timothy A
TA
University of Wisconsin, Hospital and Clinics, Sports Medicine Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. ta.mcguine@hosp.wisc.edu
Keene
James S
JS
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*