title: Early functional outcome of two different orthotic concepts in ankle sprains: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Purpose of the study was the evaluation of the early functional outcome of patients with an acute ankle sprain treated either with a semirigid, variable, phase-adapted modular ankle orthosis or an invariable orthotic reference device.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven patients with acute ankle sprain grade II or more were included. In addition, 77 healthy controls as a reference were investigated. The injured subjects were treated with one of the two devices by random for 6 weeks. Ankle scores (FAOS, AOFAS) were taken at baseline after injury, 1 and 3 months after injury. Functional performance tests (balance platform, zig zag run, shuttle run, vertical drop jump) were performed at 1 and 3 months after injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant score differences could be found between the two intervention groups except for achieving a preinjury activity level after 3 months only in the modular orthosis group. Postural functional performances (balance test) also showed no significant differences whereas the results of the agility tests revealed small but significant better results in the modular orthosis group in comparison to the invariable orthosis group. Cohen's effect sizes were high.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences between the two intervention groups were marginal and very small but significant and--regarding Cohen's effect sizes--effective. Especially relating to functional performance, this might be a careful indication that a more effective strategy for promoting a protected, rapid recovery to physical activity after ankle sprains might be achieved by applying a phase-adapted ankle orthosis. Especially in athletic patients, phase-adapted orthosis should be further investigated and considered to ensure fully protected ligament healing as well as to regain early functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Sports Medicine, Medical Clinic, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 6, 72076, Tubingen, Germany, raymond.best@med.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Böhle
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schiffer
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Andree
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ellermann
authors.forename: Gert Peter
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Brueggemann
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liebau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D010147:Pain Measurement; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult