Prevention exercises for reduced incidence of ankle sprains during military infantry training.

OBJECTIVES To determine the influence of stability exercises on the prevalence of ankle sprains during infantry training; and whether soldiers in the intervention (INT group) with reduced pre-induction ankle instability have a different prevalence of ankle sprains during training compared with soldiers in the control (CON group) who also exhibit reduced instability.

DESIGN Intervention.

PARTICIPANTS Two groups of infantry males (INT, n = 421; CON, n = 365).

MAIN OUTCOME Pre-induction chronic-ankle-instability (CAI), anthropometrics, and somatosensory acuity were assessed. A physiotherapist assessed ankle-sprains that occurred during the 12-week of infantry training. The INT group performed exercises (5minX5times/week) during infantry training.

RESULTS The prevalence of ankle sprains was significantly lower in the INT versus the CON group (13.1 % and 24.7 %, respectively, p < 0.001). Survival analysis demonstrated lower rate of sprains for INT than for CON (p < 0.001). Soldiers with pre-induction instability (reduced somatosensory acuity, perceived-instability, recurrent ankle-sprains and CAI) who commenced training (INT) had significantly lower prevalence of ankle sprains during training compared with soldiers with reduced abilities in the CON (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS Soldiers who completed the injury prevention-program had reduced prevalence of ankle-sprains. Soldiers with reduced ankle stability at the commencement of training had a reduced chance of injury during training if undertaking static-to-dynamic exercises.