Influence of floor, shoes and body mass index in the occurrence of ankle sprains in women

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate ankle sprains associated with type of shoes, surface, body mass index and age. Methods: We analyzed 150 women with ankle sprains. Patients completed a questionnaire about the kind of shoes they were wearing at the time of the sprain, type of surface they were on, and their body mass index. Types of shoes worn at the time of the sprain were slippers, high-heels (platform shoes, high and medium heels), tennis shoes, and barefoot. We calculated the body mass index and it was classified into underweight, normal, overweight and obesity. We divided type of floor into irregular (stairs, dirt and grass) and regular (floor, concrete, asphalt, wood and rubber). Sprains were classified based on location (lateral, medial, or mixed) and degree (I, II or III). Results: A total of 68% of patients were young and young adults (20 to 40-year-old), 19.3% were adults (40 to 60-year-old) and 12% were elderlies. Most patients, 71.3%, were under-and normal-weight, and 28.7% of them were overweight and obese. Sprains occurring in regular floor entailed 58% of the sample. Strains due to high heels (platform shoes, high and medium heels) accounted for 36.7%, with a predominance of sprains in women wearing platform type shoes (24%). Sprains due to slippers represented 29.3%, sneakers 28.7%, and barefoot 5.3%. Lateral isolated lesion was seen in 83.3%, medial lesion in 10.7% and mixed lesion in 6% of cases. Of these injuries, 10.7% occurred during exercise. Conclusion: No significance was observed among variables: type of floor, body mass index and age. Sprains were homogeneous in relation to type of shoes and surface in lateral lesions. Medial lesions were statistically significant in patients who were wearing slippers (68.8%, p= 0.001). Level of evidence IV, Case Series.