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purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy of a 22- week prescribed
sports specific balance training programme on the incidence of lateral
ankle sprains in basketball players. A controlled clinical trial was
set up. In total 54 subjects of six teams participated and were assigned
to either an intervention (IG) or a control group (CG). The IG performed
a prescribed balance training programme on top of their normal training
routine, using balance semi-globes. The programme consisted of 4 basketball
skills each session and its difficulty was progressively thought-out.
The intervention lasted 22 weeks and was performed 3 times a week
for 5 to 10 minutes. Efficacy of the intervention on the incidence
of lateral ankle sprains was determined by calculating Relative Risks
(RR, including their 95% Confidence Intervals or CI) and incidence
rates expressed per 1000h. RR (95% CI) showed a significantly lower
incidence of lateral ankle sprains in the IG compared to the CG for
the total sample (RR= 0.30 [95% CI: 0.11-0.84]) and in men (RR= 0.29
[95% CI: 0.09-0.93]). The difference in RR was not confirmed when
examining the incidence rates and their 95%CI's, which overlapped.
The risk for new or recurrent ankle sprains was slightly lower in
the IG (new: RR= 0.76 [95% CI: 0.17-3.40]; re-injury: RR= 0.21 [95%
CI: 0.03-1.44]). Based on these pilot results, the use of balance
training is recommended as a routine during basketball activities
for the prevention of ankle sprains.
KEY
WORDS: Injury prevention, sports, proprioceptive training, ankle
injury.
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