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The Effect of a Balance Training Program on the Risk of Ankle Sprains in High School Athletes

From the University of Wisconsin, Hospital and Clinics, Sports Medicine Center, Madison, Wisconsin

^* Address correspondence to Timothy A. McGuine, PhD, ATC, 621 Science Drive, Madison, WI 53711 (e-mail: ta.mcguine{at}hosp.wisc.edu).

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.

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

Study Design: 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).

Conclusion: A balance training program will significantly reduce the risk of ankle sprains in high school soccer and basketball players.

Key Words: ankle sprain • prevention • soccer • basketball • high school

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