Ankle sprains are one of the most common injury types in sports and 73% of individuals with a lateral ankle sprain may develop chronic ankle instability (CAI).
CAI decreases ankle stability and neuromuscular control, potentially predisposing athletes to injuries up the kinetic chain (e.g. non-contact ACL, etc.).
This highlights the importance of appropriate rehab and begs the question...
Does chronic ankle instability influence how an athlete lands from jumping?
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What did the researchers do?
Researchers performed a systematic review of the literature for studies that answered the question, "does ankle instability predispose individuals to greater risk of non-contact knee injuries?" and only included studies that addressed lower extremity kinematics during landing task.
- 6 studies totaling 338 subjects were included
- Kinematic changes at the knee during landing task were measured
What were the results?
The researchers reported that chronic ankle instability influences landing mechanics and may increase non-contact injury risk.
- Decreased knee flexion, reducing the ability to dissipate forces being transferred to the knee.
- Increased time to stabilization in the affected ankle, reducing proprioception and dynamic stability.
- Increased hip flexion which researchers hypothesized as a feed-forward mechanism to attenuate forces.
- Dorsiflexion range of motion had mixed results and were not clinically relevant in this study.
Coach's Takeaway
- Chronic ankle instability can predispose our athletes to knee injury due to altered landing mechanics.
- When an athlete sprains an ankle, rehab should focus on restoring range of motion and neuromuscular control at the ankle.
- Knee flexion during landing should be assessed to evaluate how the athlete is dissipating forces during landing.
