Prevalence and Association of Risk Factors for Ankle Sprain among High School Sports Students

Background: Acute ankle sprains cause short-term problems, recurrence, and functional instability. Risk factors include uneven surfaces, previous sprains, weak ankles, high-heeled shoes, and lack of warm-up. Comprehending the risk factors can help improve the prevention and intervention strategies for ankle sprains. Objective: To find the prevalence and association of risk factors for ankle sprain in high school sports. Methodology: It was an analytical cross-sectional study. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data, which was collected from DHA Senior School and Garrison Academy Lahore. It was completed within 4 months after the approval of the synopsis. The study includes 216 high school sports students aged 13-18 years. Both gender male and female students are included in the study; sports students participated at the school level and district level, and students engaged in football, basketball, and cricket actively for above 6 months. The exclusion criteria include those higher. Secondary school students who have not actively participated in sports in the last 3 months, Sports students with a recent history of fracture/ trauma to the lower limb excluded from the study and students with congenital deformities in the lower limb. The ethical approval was taken from the ethical review committee of CMH Lahore Medical College and the Institute of Dentistry. Informed consent was taken from the individuals. Results: Table 1 presents the demographics of all participants, with the majority being 16 years old and enrolled in studies. The majority of the participants were male students. Figure 1 represents the percentage of ankle sprains in the past and present. 47.7% of respondents showed positive ankle sprains in the past, whereas at present, close to 27% include positive findings. According to this figure, 29.17 students had previously undergone physical therapy for ankle sprains. Conclusion: The prevalence of ankle sprains among high school students is 26.9%. The risk factors contributing greatly to ankle sprains among high school athletes were uneven surfaces and improperly fitted shoes, therefore highlighting the importance of implementing preventive measures and being mindful of the associated risk factors to prevent future injuries and recurrences.