Factors associated with persistent pain in college athletes with a history of lateral ankle sprain

Objectives: To determine the factors associated with and prevalence of persistent pain in college athletes with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and with previous lateral ankle sprain (LAS) without CAI. Design: Cross-Sectional Study.Setting: Online survey at one university.Participants: Of the 385 respondents surveyed online, 140 were identified as having experienced at least one LAS (CAI group: 69, coper group: 24, LAS group not classified as either: 47).Main outcome measures: Factors associated with the presence of pain during activities of daily living (ADL) and sports were identified using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Independent variables were demographics, injury characteristics, the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) score, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Sports (FAAM-Sports) and ADL subscales, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11 score.Results: The prevalence of pain during ADL and sports in the three groups was 16.7%-42.0% and 33.3%-56.5%, respectively. FAAM-Sports and IdFAI score were significantly associated with pain during ADL and sports in the CAI group (odd ratio: 0.923 and 1.145), respectively. No significant pain-related factors were found in the coper and LAS groups.Conclusions: Lower self-reported function and greater perceived ankle instability may be important factors in pain management in athletes with CAI.