Differences In Dynamic Stability, Strength, And Proprioception Between People With And Without Chronic Ankle Instability

Ankle sprains are the most common sports injuries. Following the initial sprain, 50-70% of people developed into chronic ankle instability (CAI). The impact of recurrent ankle sprains on dynamic stability, strength, and proprioception, remains unclear among people with CAI. Addressing these issues can help in selecting targeted interventions and developing precise ankle sprain prevention approaches among people with CAI. PURPOSE:To investigate the differences in dynamic stability, strength, and proprioception between people with and without CAI. METHODS: 122 participants were recruited into CAI (n=67, age: 21.3±1.5 years old, height: 176.4±9.0 cm, body mass: 70.1±12.6 kg) or NON-CAI (n=55, age: 22.1±2.0 years old, height: 174.2±7.7 cm, body mass: 67.1±11.2 kg) groups from the local university. Dynamic stability was measured during jump-landing on a force plate and indicated by the time to stability (TTS) in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. Ankle muscle strength and proprioception of dorsi/plantarflexion and in/eversion were measured by a strength testing system, and a proprioception test device, respectively. Shapiro-Wilk tests were used to assess the normality of data distribution. Independent t-tests (normal distribution) or Mann-Whitney U tests (non-normal distribution) were used to compare differences between individuals with and without CAI. Effect size (Cohen’s d) was used to evaluate the extent of between-group differences. RESULTS: Compared to people without CAI, those with CAI had longer TTS in AP and ML directions, lower ankle muscle strength, and higher ankle proprioception thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: People with CAI have poorer dynamic stability, weaker strength, and impaired proprioception compared with those without CAI. - Descriptive characteristics of dynamic stability, strength, and proprioception. CAI NON-CAI p Cohen’s d Dynamic stability (s) TTSAP 2.41±0.10 2.34±0.12 .002 0.633 TTSML 2.00±0.49 1.78±0.43 .010 0.477 Strength (N*m/kg) Ankle plantarflexion 0.94±0.34 1.12±0.34 .007 0.529 Ankle dorsiflexion 0.24±0.08 0.32±0.15 .004 0.665 Ankle inversion 0.22±0.01 0.23±0.01 .007 1.000 Ankle eversion 0.12±0.01 0.13±0.01 .002 1.000 Proprioception (°) Ankle plantarflexion 1.28±0.84 0.85±0.39 .001 0.656 Ankle dorsiflexion 1.40±0.98 0.89±0.52 <.001 0.650 Ankle inversion 2.92±2.02 1.76±1.28 <.001 0.685 Ankle eversion 3.01±2.01 1.66±0.81 <.001 0.877