Professionals agree on 16 items to assess for return to sport ability after an acute lateral ankle sprain

This is a summary of the insights from the research paper "Return to sport decisions after an acute lateral ankle sprain injury: introducing the PAASS framework - an international multidisciplinary consensus".

What are the most important items to assess return to sport ability after an acute lateral ankle sprain according to a panel of 155 professionals? 🤔

ℹ️ Acute lateral ankle sprains are the most common sports injury with a high recurrence rate. The professionals in this study propose that premature return to sport may be one factor that contributes to the high prevalence of recurrent ankle problems.

A panel of professionals put forward 16 items that should be assessed to inform the return to sport decision.

These 16 items fall into 5 categories: the PAASS framework, meaning:

• Pain severity (during sports participation and over the last 24 hours)
• Ankle impairments (range of motion; muscle strength, endurance, and power)
• Athlete perception (perceived ankle confidence/reassurance and stability; psychological readiness)
• Sensorimotor control (proprioception; dynamic postural control/balance)
• Sport/functional performance (hopping, jumping and agility; sport-specific activities; ability to complete a full training session)

This study did not propose specific tests to measure these 16 items, but the professionals confirm the importance of obtaining input from the athlete and engaging in shared decision-making in determining the return to sport ability

➡️ In the Hylyght platform, our return to sport protocols for ankle distortions contain a combination of analytical & functional tests and standardized patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS).

👉 Have a look at the Hylyght platform here.
👉 Read the full paper here.