Impact of a Lateral Ankle Sprain in General Practice: Comparison Between Patients With and Without Persistent Complaints After6-12 Months

Background: Although ankle sprains are common and often lead to persistent complaints, their impact on functioning and related costs remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the impact of a lateral ankle sprain on functioning and heath care utilization at 6-12 months follow-up. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: General practice. Patients: 204 subjects were included from general practice after a lateral ankle sprain 6-12 months previously; 96 reported persistent complaints and 108 reported no persistent complaints, measured on a 7”point” Likert scale (with a respectively 3-7score in the persistent complaints group and with a 1-2 points score in the group without complaints). Assessment of Risk factors: A standardized questionnaire included the 7”point” Likert scale to measure recovery. Main outcome measures: A standardized questionnaire assessing history, pain and function. Results: A significantly higher BMI (26.9 and 24.9 kg/m2), higher pain scores at rest (1.87 vs. 0.44) and during exercise (3.62 vs. 1.25) and a lower Ankle Function Score (72.47 vs. 82.90) were reported in the group with persistent complaints, while a higher percentage of patients without persistent complaints participated in sports (77.8% vs. 36.4%). Limitations in functioning due to ankle sprain and a high medical consumption (76.5% visiting the GP, 20.1% a specialist and 45.6% a physiotherapist) and radiographic imaging (35.3%) were reported in both study groups. Conclusions: A lateral ankle sprain has a high impact on functioning and physical health, especially in those with persistent complaints. In subjects with and without persistent complaints, considerable use of health care resources was found 6-12 months after the initial visit to the general practitioner.