THE EFFECT OF EARLY PHYSICAL FACTORS ON THE RECOVERY OF AN ACUTE ANKLE SPRAIN: INITIAL RESULTS

Abstract

One of the most common musculoskeletal injuries of the lower limb in physically active individuals is the ankle sprain. Patients who have neglected their acute distortions and didn't seek medical attention in long term follow up are with a bad prognosis. In majority of the cases patients are with persistent residual symptoms and/or recurrent sprains. The PRICE protocol-protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation is the most common method of treatment in the acute phase of soft tissue injuries. Evidence supporting the efficacy of this approach in reducing late symptoms after ankle sprain is limited. At the moment, the possibilities of physical factors to support the recovery process in the acute phase of trauma have not been sufficiently studied. The Deep Oscillation method has entered the physiotherapy practice widely in recent years. The biological action consists in the occurrence of reciprocating oscillations of the underlying tissue, and therapeutic effects are associated with a reduction in tissue swelling, anti-inflammatory, trophic analgesic and antispasmodic. Accelerates reparative and regenerative processes, increases tissue elasticity.
Aim: The aim of the study is to track the presence or absence of immediate and long-term effects of applied therapy with Deep Oscillation and conventional physical therapy.
Material and methods: 60 patients with acute ankle sprain were divided equally into three treatment groups. The patients were treated with different rehabilitation programs for 7 days. To monitor the effect of the treatment, the following parameters were used - pain assessment according to VAS, dorsiflexion, plantarflexion and ankle circumference at three time points: 1 day (as a baseline control point), 7 days and 21 days after the start of treatment at the three studied groups. Results data were processed using statistical methods.
Results: By analyzing the results, it was found that there is a statistically significant difference considering the change in pain according to VAS between the different groups. Group "1" has statistically better results than group "0" (Mann-Whitney test, Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)= 0.021 is less than α=0.05) at the end of treatment, and when comparing group "2" and group "0" the result is of even higher statistical significance (Mann-Whitney test, Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed)= 0.011 is less than α=0.05.). The obtained results are similar in relation to the other useful parameters considering the functional condition of the ankle joint. This tendency is also preserved when considering the results in the following time points.
Conclusion: The initial results of the study demonstrate the effectiveness of the complex approach implemented in Group "2" compared to Group "0". We recognize the need for scientific research to continue in order to establish with greater precision the statistical significance of the proposed methodology.