A simple balance exercise program can lower your risk of a recurrent ankle sprain by 50 percent. This is the conclusion of research by Maarten Hupperets, who will be awarded his doctorate at VU University Medical Center on 21 January.
In several sports, such as football, ankle sprain is the most common sports injury † Especially in the first year after an ankle sprain there is an increased risk of recurrence of this injury, which often leads to chronic pain †
Exercise program
With more than half a million sprains a year, it is extremely important to keep the exercise program of researcher Maarten Hupperets to be announced in the Netherlands.
Hupperets divided more than 500 athletes between the ages of 12 and 70 with recent ankle sprains into two random groups. After recovery, a group followed an exercise program, which was at home and without supervision could be performed. This involved simple exercises, such as balancing on one leg.
The exercise program proved successful † Athletes who sprained their ankle and then did simple balance exercises for eight weeks had a 50 percent reduction in the risk of recurrence of ankle sprains in the following year than people who did not exercise.
The EMGO+ institute of VUmc, the Consumer and Safety Foundation and the Association for Sports Medicine want to announce the exercise program and even include it in the health insurance package .
