Effectiveness of Various Cryotherapy Systems at Decreasing Ankle Skin Temperatures and Applying Compression

A variety of cryotherapy systems may be used to cool tissues immediately after an injury. The purpose our study was to examine the effect of a 30-min application of various cryotherapy devices on skin temperatures and compression. A crossover-designed study performed in a university research laboratory was conducted. Each treatment condition was applied to the lateral ankle for 30 min on different days. HyperIce’s colder temperatures over the lateral ankle (p < .0001) would make it the treatment choice for immediate care of ankle lateral ligament injuries, but is limited due its size for larger injuries.

Does neuromuscular exercise training improve proprioception in ankle lateral ligament injury among athletes? Systematic review and meta-analysis

DOI: 10.15448/1980-6108.2017.1.25082Aims: The prevalence rate of ankle complexities is increasing at a constant rate among athletes. This study aimed to systematically describe the facts and findings related to the effectiveness of training programs on proprioception among athletes suffering from ankle ligament injury.Methods: A literature search in online libraries (Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest) using different search engines was conducted for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The common keywords included NEUROMUSCULAR, EXERCISE, TRAINING, PROPRIOCEPTION, and ATHLETES. Studies related to the topic, having relevant resources, and published within the past 10 years were used as inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed through PEDro scale. A meta-analysis of the selected trials was conducted to assess the effectiveness of intervention. Results: Two hundred research articles were initially selected. After close scrutiny, 15 articles were included. Five moderate to excellent quality trials were selected, which involved 2,459 participants. It has been mainly identified that ankle sprain and its complications can be easily prevented with the help of training programs (five trials, relative risk: 0.69, 96%CI: 0.65-0.87). A statistically significant relationship was identified among athletes regarding the preventive impacts of training on proprioception. Conclusions: Preventive training programs were helpful for athletes in terms of proprioception, thus reducing the risk of ankle sprains.