Ankle Sprain in Young Athletes: A 2-Year Retrospective Study at a Multisport Club

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze ankle sprains in young athletes of basketball, futsal, artistic gymnastics, trampoline, tennis, judo, and volleyball athletes over 2 seasons. Methods Data of 529 athletes in the 1st year and of 495 athletes in the 2nd year of analysis were investigated from the injury record database of a sports club. The following data were considered: the demographic characteristics (age, body mass, height, and sex), the mechanism (contact or noncontact), the severity, the moment at which the injury occurred, and the recurrence. Also, the incidence rate, the injury risk of the first ankle sprain, and the incidence rate ratio between sports were calculated. Results The athletes sustained 124 ankle sprains in the 2 years of analysis. The majority occurred during training (76.6%) and lead to absence from sports practice (75.8%). The injury recurrence was low: 2 athletes (1.6%) had a recurrence in the same year and 5 (4.0%) in the following year. The incidence rate (0.79 to 12.81 per 1,000 hours) and the injury risk (1.14 to 19.44%) varied among sports. Volleyball, basketball, and futsal presented the highest injury rate incidence. Tennis, gymnastics, and trampoline showed the lowest injury rate incidence. Judo showed an incidence rate different from those of basketball and volleyball in the 1st year and similar to those of other sports in the 2nd year. Conclusion Ankle sprain greatly impacted sports practice and presented characteristics that differ among the investigated sports. These findings may contribute to developing preventive injury programs.