With increasing amounts of leisure
time and the current emphasis on physical
fitness, the incidence of sports injuries
has increased dramatically.1 One
of the body parts injured most frequently
has been the ankle joint, with
the most common injury occurring at
this joint being the lateral ankle sprain.
Two studies examining injuries among
high school athletes reported that 14%
of all injuries involved the ankle joint.2,3
Eighty-five percent of these injuries were
sprains, and 85% of the sprains involved
the lateral ligaments.
complex and is referred to as a lateral ankle sprain (LAS). In
a cost analysis study, Soboroff et al3 found that the cost of
treating these injuries ranged from $318 to $914 per sprain,
with an annual aggregate cost in the United States of $2 billion.
This figure provides a glimpse into the significant problems
associated with this condition.