injuries to the lateral ligaments of the ankle complex are
among the most common injuries incurred by athletes.1
Lateral ankle sprains are thought to be suffered by men
and women at approximately the same rates; however, one
recent report2 suggests that female interscholastic and intercollegiate
basketball players have a 25% greater risk of incurring
grade I ankle sprains than their male counterparts. More
than 23 000 ankle sprains have been estimated to occur per
day in the United States, which equates to one sprain per
10 000 people daily.3 The most common predisposition to suffering
a lateral ankle sprain is the history of at least one previous
ankle sprain.4–8 In sports such as basketball, recurrence
rates have been reported to exceed 70%.4,9 Repetitive sprains
have also been linked to increased risk of osteoarthritis and
articular degeneration at the ankle.10,11