Timing of rehabilitation is associated with recurrence after ankle sprain injury in the Military Health System — MHSRS 2021

Rhon D, Greenlee T, Fraser J

Abstract submitted to Military Health System Symposium 2021

In military service members, ankle injuries can substantially curtail the ability to complete duty requirements. Ankle injuries were the third leading factor of lost work time of the US Armed Forces in 2002, and by 2017-2018 they were ranked first for all U.S. Army soldiers. Timely interventions earlier in the injury course may have greater effectiveness than when care is delayed. No work has been done to look at the iterative effects of time to rehabilitation on risk for injury recurrence, or the impact of early treatment on downstream utilization of healthcare resources. It is possible that the timing of interventions influences outcomes after ankle sprain, similar to what has been found for musculoskeletal disorders in other body regions.