Clinical assessment of lateral ankle sprains among Swedish physiotherapists: a nationwide survey comparing practice to international and locally modified frameworks.

Isabella Lööf, Farshad Ashnai, Daniel Nygren, Susanne Beischer

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Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Isabella LööfUnit of Physiotherapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Farshad AshnaiSportrehab Sports Medicine Clinic, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Daniel NygrenSportrehab Sports Medicine Clinic, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Susanne BeischerUnit of Physiotherapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. susanne.beischer@gu.se.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLateral ankle sprains (LAS) are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries globally. Although international frameworks such as the Rehabilitation-Oriented Assessment Tool (ROAST) and Ankle-GO provide structured approaches for LAS assessment and return-to-sport (RTS) evaluation, their implementation in Sweden has not been investigated.

methodsA cross-sectional online survey was distributed to registered Swedish physiotherapists managing patients with LAS. The survey assessed adherence to the original ROAST, as well as modified versions of the frameworks (ROAST

resultsA total of 124 physiotherapists responded. Most (87.1%) reported using fewer than 50% of ROAST criteria, while 48.4% met at least 50% of ROAST

conclusionsAdherence to international frameworks for LAS assessment was generally low among Swedish physiotherapists, but higher when modified versions were applied. Urban-based physiotherapists reported higher adherence compared to their rural counterparts, while educational level and experience had little influence. A discrepancy between perceived confidence and actual adherence suggests a gap between self-assessed competence and implementation.

Indexed as

Ankle-GOClinical assessmentEvidence-based practiceLateral ankle sprainPatient-reported outcome measuresPhysiotherapyReturn to sportROASTSurvey studySweden

Identifiers

PMID41508095

DOI10.1186/s13102-025-01505-8

PMCPMC12874988

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