Point of Care Ultrasound Guided Management of Lateral Ankle Sprains: A Case Series.

This was a small prospective case series with no comparison group, so improvement over time cannot be separated from natural healing. Only 14 participants were enrolled, and only 11 completed 24-week patient reported outcome measures. The care plan combined ultrasound grading with bracing, weight-bearing rules, range-of-motion exercises, edema and pain control, assistive devices, strength, balance and gait training, and medication or imaging decisions, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. Participants came from one military medical center and were 18 to 45 years old, which may limit generalizability. The authors say the sample was too small to achieve power and that this increases the chance of false-positive findings. Dynamic balance was not assessed at baseline, and some outcomes were collected only at selected time points.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. They also state the work was prepared as part of official duties as U.S. Government military service members or employees.

Do not conclude that ultrasound-guided management alone improves lateral ankle sprain outcomes. This was a case series with no comparison group, and participants received ultrasound grading together with bracing, weight-bearing rules, range-of-motion exercises, edema and pain control, assistive devices, strength, balance and gait training, and medication or imaging decisions, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.