Trends in Ankle Sprains Presenting to Emergency Departments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Foot & ankle orthopaedics 2022-11, Vol.7 (4)
• Main Authors: Ortiz-Babilonia, Carlos D., Gupta, Arjun, Mo, Kevin C., Aiyer, Amiethab A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ankle; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Emergency medical care; Injuries; Pandemics
• ISSN: 2473-0114; 2473-0114
• DOI: 10.1177/2473011421S00867

Category: Trauma; Ankle Introduction/Purpose: It has been suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patients deferring evaluation and treatment of injuries due to fear of contagion. This, in addition to lockdowns and avoidance of outside activities, may have led to a decrease in the recorded incidence of activity-related injuries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 period on Emergency Department (ED) visits for ankle sprains in the United States, including incidence, demographics, and etiology. Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried to identify patients who presented to EDs in the U.S. for ankle sprains between 2001-2020. Population estimates were derived from the U.S. Census Bureau from 2001- 2020 for calculation of incidence in person-years. Chi-square analysis and Wald chi-square tests were performed to assess differences between pre-pandemic (2001-2019) and during-pandemic (2020) periods. Results: Between 2001 and 2020, a total of 315,545 actual ankle sprains were identified in the NEISS database for an estimated 11,904,243 ankle sprains (610,445.2 per year) among a population at risk of 6,185,494,962 person-years. The estimated incidence of ankle sprains in the general population presenting to EDs was 1.92 per 1000 person-years. When analyzing pre- and during- pandemic cohorts, ankle sprain incidence was significantly lower during-pandemic (1.98 vs 0.89 per 1000 person-years; P