Time to Return to Play After High Ankle Sprains in Collegiate Football Players: A Prediction Model

Background:Determining the severity of high ankle sprains in athletes and predicting the time that an athlete can return to unrestricted sport activities following this injury remain significant challenges.Purpose:The objectives of this study were (1) to determine if objective measurements of injury severity after high ankle sprains could predict the time to return to play in Division I football players and (2) to determine whether physical examination or diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound was more predictive of return to play. The hypothesis was that objective measures of injury severity of a high ankle sprain can be predictive of time to return to athletic participation in collegiate football players.Study Design:Prospective case series.Methods:Twenty consecutive Division I collegiate football players with a diagnosis of a grade I high ankle sprain (syndesmosis sprain without diastasis) were studied. Two clinical measurements of injury severity were determined: the height of the zone of injury on phy...