Namba A1,2, Okada K1, Saito A1, Echigoya K1,3, Okura K1,4, Suda T1,4, Kondo R1,5
1Akita University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, Akita, Japan, 2Akita Red Cross Hospital, Department of Rehabilitation, Akita, Japan, 3Akita Prefectural Center for Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation, Daisen, Japan, 4Akita University Hospital, Department of Rehabilitation, Akita, Japan, 5Nakadori General Hospital, Department of Rehabilitation, Akita, Japan
Background: Ankle sprains are the most frequent occurrence in sports injuries, especially during landing. The previous studies reported that the sprained ankle was observed increased the ankle inversion angle and decreased the muscle activity of the peroneus longus during landing, and these were related to high recurrence rate. Although landing with rotation of the lower limbs are often performed in an actual sports scene, its relationship with recurrence of ankle sprain is unknown.
Purpose: To clarify the effect of the lower limbs rotation on angle and muscle activity of the around ankle joint during single-leg landing in the sprained ankle.
Methods: The ankle sprained group comprised18 individuals with multiple sprained ankle (18 limbs; mean age, 21 years), and the control group comprised18 healthy individuals (18 limbs; mean age, 21 years). Participants were instructed to perform single-leg landing from the 30cm high with three conditions; 30° internal rotation (IR), 30° external rotation (ER), and neutral rotation of the lower limbs. The angles of the ankle plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion were measured by electronic flexible goniometer (SG110, Biometrics Ltd., UK). The muscle activities of the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, and medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius were measured by surface electromyogram (Biolog DL - 3100, S & ME Ltd., Japan). Analysis section was 100 msec before and after the landing in each measurement value. The electromyogram data was normalized by the value of the maximum contraction (%MVC) in each muscle. Additionally, before the single-leg landing, the ankle functional instability test, dehiscence rate of between the lateral malleolus and the talus, arch height ratio, eversion muscle strength, and joint position sense were measured as an ankle functions. These values for each group were compared using a Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and for three conditions of each group were compared using a one way analysis of variance.
Results: The ankle functional instability test was significantly lower (85.3 ± 4.5 vs. 99.5 ± 1.2; p 0.001) and the dehiscence rate of between the lateral malleolus and the talus was significantly higher (15.0 ± 4.5 vs. 7.8 ± 3.9; p 0.05) in the ankle sprained group than in the control group. In landing with IR, the ankle plantar flexion angle was significantly higher in the ankle sprained group than in the control group at 100 to 50 msec before landing (P 0.05). Similarly, at 40 to 60 msec after landing, the ankle inversion angle (P 0.05) and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior (38%MVC vs. 27%MVC, p 0.05) were significantly higher in the ankle sprained group than in the control group.
Conclusion(s): In the sprained ankle, landing with IR of the lower limbs causes increase the ankle plantar flexion angle before landing and increase the ankle inversion angle and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior after landing.
Implications: These findings are possibility related to recurrence of ankle sprain. Teaching the avoidance of the IR of the lower limbs during landing may contribute to prevention of ankle sprain.
Keywords: Ankle joint kinematics, Ankle sprains, Lower limbs rotation
Funding acknowledgements: No funding obtained.
Purpose: To clarify the effect of the lower limbs rotation on angle and muscle activity of the around ankle joint during single-leg landing in the sprained ankle.
Methods: The ankle sprained group comprised18 individuals with multiple sprained ankle (18 limbs; mean age, 21 years), and the control group comprised18 healthy individuals (18 limbs; mean age, 21 years). Participants were instructed to perform single-leg landing from the 30cm high with three conditions; 30° internal rotation (IR), 30° external rotation (ER), and neutral rotation of the lower limbs. The angles of the ankle plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion were measured by electronic flexible goniometer (SG110, Biometrics Ltd., UK). The muscle activities of the tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, and medial and lateral head of gastrocnemius were measured by surface electromyogram (Biolog DL - 3100, S & ME Ltd., Japan). Analysis section was 100 msec before and after the landing in each measurement value. The electromyogram data was normalized by the value of the maximum contraction (%MVC) in each muscle. Additionally, before the single-leg landing, the ankle functional instability test, dehiscence rate of between the lateral malleolus and the talus, arch height ratio, eversion muscle strength, and joint position sense were measured as an ankle functions. These values for each group were compared using a Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and for three conditions of each group were compared using a one way analysis of variance.
Results: The ankle functional instability test was significantly lower (85.3 ± 4.5 vs. 99.5 ± 1.2; p 0.001) and the dehiscence rate of between the lateral malleolus and the talus was significantly higher (15.0 ± 4.5 vs. 7.8 ± 3.9; p 0.05) in the ankle sprained group than in the control group. In landing with IR, the ankle plantar flexion angle was significantly higher in the ankle sprained group than in the control group at 100 to 50 msec before landing (P 0.05). Similarly, at 40 to 60 msec after landing, the ankle inversion angle (P 0.05) and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior (38%MVC vs. 27%MVC, p 0.05) were significantly higher in the ankle sprained group than in the control group.
Conclusion(s): In the sprained ankle, landing with IR of the lower limbs causes increase the ankle plantar flexion angle before landing and increase the ankle inversion angle and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior after landing.
Implications: These findings are possibility related to recurrence of ankle sprain. Teaching the avoidance of the IR of the lower limbs during landing may contribute to prevention of ankle sprain.
Keywords: Ankle joint kinematics, Ankle sprains, Lower limbs rotation
Funding acknowledgements: No funding obtained.
Topic: Human movement analysis; Musculoskeletal: lower limb; Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Akita University
Ethics committee: Akita University Graduate School of Medicine Ethics Committee
Ethics number: 2035
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
