Attitudes and practices of Australian healthcare and sports workers on the use of ankle supports for management and prevention of lateral ankle sprains: A cross-sectional survey
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Explore attitudes and practices of Australian professionals using ankle taping or bracing for the management and prevention of lateral ankle sprains. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Anonymous online survey. PARTICIPANTS: Australian healthcare or athletic workers, registered with an official governing body, involved in the management and/or prevention of lateral ankle sprains. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative data was collected from 20 close-ended questions. Qualitative data from 14 open-ended questions were categorized into topics using inductive thematic analysis. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in figures and tabular format. RESULTS: A total 160 respondents answered the survey; the majority were podiatrists (42.5%), physiotherapists (23%), or sports/athletic trainers (13.8%). Ankle supports were overwhelmingly recommended and considered to be effective in the management (95% and 89% bracing and taping, respectively) and prevention (96% and 92% bracing and taping, respectively) of lateral ankle sprains. For management, semi-rigid brace with straps (26%) and figure eight taping technique (42%) were the most frequently used. For prevention, the most commonly used were soft brace with straps (30%) and the figure eight taping technique (37%). CONCLUSIONS: Australian professionals expressed a positive attitude towards using ankle supports in the management and prevention of lateral ankle sprains.
Source: Physical Therapy in Sport
Institution: The University of Sydney
Language: English
Topic: Foot and Ankle Surgery
Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W4402908216