Functional Recovery in Active-Duty Military Personnel Following a Novel, Self-applicable, Stepwise, Target-Oriented Protocol for Lateral Ankle Sprain: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND

Due to limited access to hospital-based rehabilitation, many active-duty soldiers return to duty after lateral ankle sprain (LAS) without the opportunity for stepwise rehabilitation, despite the risk of delayed functional recovery and re-injury. This prospective cohort study aimed to introduce and evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost, self-applicable, stepwise, target-oriented protocol for LAS (STOP-Sprain) in facilitating functional recovery.

METHODS

A total of 60 participants were finally included and divided into 2 groups: those who followed the protocol (under protocol, group U = 45) and those who did not (out of protocol, group O = 15). Group U was further divided into the regular check-up group with frequent hospital visits (group UR = 28) and the self-application group (group US = 17). We analyzed comparative outcomes at 3 months, including recovery rates, re-sprain rates, pain numerical rating scale, and Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) scores.

RESULTS

Recovery rates (p = 0.013), pain improvement (p = 0.029), FAAM score improvement (p = 0.006) at 3 months were higher in the group U compared to the group O. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 subgroups in group U (group UR vs. group US: recovery rate, p = 0.502; pain improvement, p = 0.293; FAAM score improvement, p = 0.975). Recovery rates were higher in groups UR (78.6%) and US (64.7%) than in group O (33.3%) (p = 0.013). Re-sprain rates were highest in group O (53.3%), followed by groups UR (28.6%) and US (17.6%) (p = 0.085); however, the differences were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

STOP-Sprain, a novel self-applicable protocol for LAS, showed short-term improvements in recovery rate, pain, and clinical scores, achieving high patient satisfaction without the need for additional equipment or facilities. It is particularly beneficial in settings where hospital-based rehabilitation is challenging.