Razzano Cristina, Izzo Rosanna, Savastano Riccardo, Colantuoni Carlo, Carbone Stefano
Associate Registrar, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Centro Medico Erre, Sant'Agata dei Goti, Italy.
Senior Resident, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
J Foot Ankle Surg. 2019 May;58(3):441-446. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2018.09.009. Epub 2019 Mar 23.
Ankle injuries are very common between professional athletes and recreational sports. Lateral stable ligaments injury can be treated conservatively. Noninvasive interactive neurostimulation (NIN) is a form of electric therapy that works by locating areas of lower skin impedance. The objective of this prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was to compare the results in terms of improvement of a foot functional score, lower level of reported pain, and return to sports in 2 groups of contact sport athlete affected by a grade I or II lateral ankle sprain. Patients were randomized using random blocks to the NIN program (group I) or a sham device (group II). The outcome measurements were the use of a self-reported Inability Walking Scale, patient-reported subjective assessment of the level of pain using a standard visual analogue scale, and daily intake of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (etoricoxib 60 mg). Patients were also reached by telephone at 2 and 4 months of follow-up to register their return to sport activity. Beyond baseline evaluation, follow-ups were done after 5 (1 week) and 10 sessions (2 weeks) of treatment, and then at 30 days after the end of therapy. Of the 70 athletes admitted to the study, 61 eligible patients were randomized using random blocks to group I (n = 32) and group II (n = 29). Group I patients showed better improvement in terms of functional impairment (Inability Walking Scale), reported pain (visual analogue scale), and daily intake of etoricoxib 60 mg. Athletes of group I registered a faster resuming of sport activities. This prospective, randomized trial showed NIN can improve short-term outcomes in athletes with acute grade I or II ankle sprain and that it can hasten resuming of sport activities.
踝关节损伤在职业运动员和业余运动员中都很常见。外侧稳定韧带损伤可以采用保守治疗。非侵入性交互式神经刺激（NIN）是一种电疗法，其工作原理是定位皮肤阻抗较低的区域。这项前瞻性、双盲、随机对照试验的目的是比较两组患有I级或II级外侧踝关节扭伤的接触性运动运动员在足部功能评分改善、疼痛程度降低以及恢复运动方面的结果。患者通过随机区组法被随机分为NIN治疗组（第一组）或假设备组（第二组）。结果测量指标包括使用自我报告的步行能力受限量表、患者使用标准视觉模拟量表对疼痛程度进行主观评估，以及非甾体类抗炎药（依托考昔60毫克）的每日摄入量。在随访的2个月和4个月时，还通过电话联系患者以记录他们恢复运动活动的情况。除了基线评估外，在治疗5次（1周）和10次（2周）后以及治疗结束后30天进行随访。在纳入研究的70名运动员中，61名符合条件的患者通过随机区组法被随机分为第一组（n = 32）和第二组（n = 29）。第一组患者在功能障碍（步行能力受限量表）、报告的疼痛（视觉模拟量表）以及依托考昔60毫克的每日摄入量方面显示出更好的改善。第一组的运动员恢复运动活动的速度更快。这项前瞻性随机试验表明，NIN可以改善急性I级或II级踝关节扭伤运动员的短期预后，并可以加速运动活动的恢复。
