SPRAINED Study - Version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Synthesising a clinical Prognostic Rule for Ankle Injuries in the Emergency Department (SPRAINED)
IRAS ID
173212
Contact name
Sarah (Sallie) Lamb
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
Ankle sprains are one of the most common soft tissue injuries. A large majority of sprains involve the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Many people go to A&E with a sprained ankle each year, with attendances varying from minor stretching to complete tear of the ligaments. The injury is painful and, unless the injury is minor, walking is difficult. Symptoms generally last for weeks but in a significant minority of cases can last for months or years. Summaries of the research literature conclude there is a lack of good-quality evidence to help clinical decision-making. Our group have previously completed a large randomised trial looking at which types of ankle support are best for sprains. We will use the data from this trial to develop a tool that will help clinicians assess the risk of patients having a poor recovery.
We plan to validate this tool by collecting data from 675 adult patients with recent ankle sprain presenting to A&E or Minor Injury Units and follow these patients up by questionnaire at set time points over 9 months. We believe poor recovery means serious problems with activity, pain, confidence/stability of the ankle and/or recurrent injury. It is a combination of these measures that we will try and predict using a combination of clinical and patient reported measures taken at A&E visit and up to 4 weeks later.
At the end of the study we aim to have developed and validated a tool that will provide a guide as to the chances of recovery for individual patients. A&E clinicians could then modify treatment or refer patients early for specialist treatment if they are at risk of poor recovery which could lead to more successful treatments and reduced costs to the NHS and society.REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0538
Date of REC Opinion
10 Apr 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion