Spraino: A New Strategy for Lateral Ankle Sprain Injury Prevention

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Abstract

The lateral ankle sprain is among the most common musculoskeletal injuries and prevention is pertinent. Until recently, effective strategies have mainly sought to prevent injury through functional joint support (i.e., brace or tape) and exercise therapy (i.e., coordination, strength, and balance training). The lateral ankle sprain is
the typical result following an excessive inversion moment, which is directly affected by the position, magnitude and orientation of the ground reaction force vector – in relation to the ankle joint center. A viable strategy would therefore be to simply reduce this moment of force. ‘Spraino’ (“no” + “sprain”) is the new preventive strategy designed with this specific purpose. Spraino works by minimizing friction between the surface and the lateral shoe outsole, effectively changing the orientation of the ground reaction force, and thereby the external joint moment, when facing a potential injury situation. In a recent 510-athlete randomized controlled trial, allocation to Spraino resulted in a 53% reduction of severe ankle sprain injuries. This talk will seek to establish a link between excessive shoe-surface friction and the mechanism with which lateral ankle sprain injuries occur, and ultimately present how minimizing lateral edge shoe-surface friction can be a viable and effective injury preventive strategy with potential future implications.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 9th International Ankle Symposium
Publication date29 Oct 2022
Pages51
Publication statusPublished - 29 Oct 2022

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