Relationship between residual symptoms after lateral ankle sprains and characteristics of physical function in young soccer players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between physical function and residual symptoms after lateral ankle sprains in young soccer players. The subjects were 198 soccer players aged 10-15 years. This study has investigated the relationship between residual symptoms and foot alignment, ankle mobility, one-leg balance ability and performance ability in players with a history of lateral ankle sprains. Residual symptoms were present in 23.7% of the players with a history of an ankle sprain. The risk for residual symptoms was higher when the number of previous lateral ankle sprains was four or more. The most common residual symptoms were ankle instability and pain. Players with residual symptoms also showed significantly reduced lateral one-leg hop test. These results suggest the importance of prevention of lateral ankle sprains in childhood and appropriate treatment in the early stages after injury.