Exercise-based rehabilitation reduces reinjury following acute lateral ankle sprain: A systematic review update with meta-analysis

Background & Purpose:
Acute lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common sports-related musculoskeletal injuries and often leads to chronic instability and re-injury. Exercise-based rehabilitation programs are widely used in clinical practice, yet their long-term effectiveness in preventing recurrence remains under investigation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess whether exercise-based rehabilitation reduces the risk of re-injury compared to usual care following acute lateral ankle sprain.

Methods & Conclusions:
Researchers identified randomized controlled trials up to March 2021, including adult patients with acute lateral ankle sprain who received exercise-based rehabilitation versus usual care. Pooling data from 14 RCTs (total n ≈ 2182), they found that exercise-based programs significantly reduced re-injury prevalence over 12 months compared to controls. However, there was insufficient data to determine optimal content or volume of exercise interventions. The authors concluded that exercise-based rehabilitation is effective in lowering re-injury risk, but future trials should refine protocols to optimize outcomes.