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Balance training reduces ankle sprains in high risk athletes
Stability training is inexpensive and can be easily implemented, making it a feasible option for many school athletic programs.
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Participating in a weekly balance training program can significantly reduce the risk of ankle sprains during sports practices or competitions, according to a study of high school athletes.
Malachy McHugh, PhD, director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, conducted the study with colleagues at the center. He presented the results at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2006 Annual Meeting.
The researchers followed 175 high school varsity football players for 3 years. Those at risk for ankle sprain due to both high body mass and/or a history of previous ankle sprain completed exercise programs featuring balance training on foam pads. Initially, participants balanced on each leg for 5 minutes, 5 days a week for 4 weeks during the preseason and then twice weekly during the regular football season. Injury incidences included games and practices.
Researchers traditionally assumed that the compounding effect of a prior ankle sprain and a high body mass index on an ankle sprain was due to weakened ankle stability. They also assumed that the lack of dynamic movement control caused by a large body mass index played a vital role, McHugh said in an AOSSM press release.
The study showed that balance training significantly reduced the risk of noncontact ankle sprains among athletes at high risk for such an injury — those who had both a high body mass and previous ankle sprain. Researchers found that 13 of 82 (18%) high risk athletes who did not complete balance training suffered such injuries compared with only six of 93 athletes (3%) who did complete balance training (P<.05). Prior to intervention, the overall injury incidence for those at high risk of ankle injury was 4.9 per 1000 exposures, which was reduced to 0.6 following intervention, according to the study abstract.
“This was a very encouraging discovery,” McHugh said, noting that the 88% reduction in ankle sprains among high-risk athletes effectively eliminated the increased risk associated with high body mass and previous sprain.
Stability pad training is inexpensive and can be easily implemented, making it a feasible option for many school athletic programs, he added.
For more information:
- McHugh MP, Tyler TF, Mirabella MR, et al. The effectiveness of a balance training intervention in reducing the incidence of non-contact ankle sprains in high school football players. Presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2006 Annual Meeting. June 19-July 2, 2006, Hershey, Pa.