Ankle sprain is a common sports injury and is often regarded as trivial by athletes and coaches. This epidemiological study was conducted among three categories of Hong Kong Chinese athletes: national teams, competitive athletes and recreational athletes. This study shows that as much as 73% of all athletes had recurrent ankle sprain and 59% of these athletes had significant disability and residual symptoms which led to impairment of their athletic performance. This study indicates that a proper approach towards injury prevention and a comprehensive rehabilitation programme are required. Keywords: Ankle sprain, residual disability, prevention, rehabilitation Ankle sprain occurs frequently in the sports population. It is caused by the stretching of fibres or of the collagen of the ankle ligaments, whereby the fibres are partially or completely disrupted'-. Since most sports activities involve running, jumping and turning, high stresses are often put on the joints of the lower limbs, including the ankle. Hansen et al4 reported that 67.3% of their football players had sprained their ankles during sports. Smith and ReischF5, reported that 70% of their basketball players had a history of ankle sprain and 80% of them had multiple sprains. Chronic ankle problems such as chronic pain, muscular weaknesses and ease of giving way were not uncommon for those athletes [3][4][5][6][7] with a history of ankle sprain Various studies on sports injuries have revealed the high occurrence and high recurrence rate of ankle sprain7-10; however, studies on the consequences of ankle injuries and their effects on the level of athletic performance are rare. This study aims to identify the prevalence of recurrent ankle sprain and its related residual symptoms among Hong Kong sportsmen. MethodQuestionnaires were sent to athletes having a history of ankle sprain. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: (1) demographic data such as age, sex, and the dominant leg; (2) sports related data; (3) ankle sprain and its related effects. Only athletes involved in sports activities on a regular basis were chosen for study. They might be competitive athletes, athletes training regularly, or recreational athletes. All must have sprained their ankle(s) at least once, with detectable swelling and pain around the injured ankle(s). Since this study focused on chronic residual ankle problems, athletes with acute ankle sprain within a 3-month period were excluded from this survey. The questionnaires were distributed to athletes on site -in the sportsfield or on court -and were collected immediately after being filled in, with the result that the return rate was 100%. In total, 400 questionnaires were distributed and collected of which 20 were incomplete, leaving 380 completed questionnaires for data analysis. The X test was used to test the statistical significance among groups of different attributes. ResultsAthletes' demographic data Data from 380 athletes were available for analysis. Of these 380 athletes, 271 were males and 109 were females. Their mea...

A comparative study was made of the isokinetic characteristics of the ankle (plantar-flexion and dorsiflexion) in young men. Six cyclists, seven gymnasts, 10 soccer players and 25 non-athletic young men were tested on the Cybex II+ dynamometer. Peak torque, torque acceleration energy (TAE), total work and average power were measured. Cyclists had slightly higher (5%) mean plantar flexion than the others, but this was not significant. The situation was reversed for dorsiflexion. Moreover, the average dorsiflexion per unit of plantar flexion was significantly higher in the gymnasts than it was in the cyclists for both torque and work. This suggests that at a specific level of plantar flexion, the gymnasts had stronger dorsiflexion compared with the cyclists and that in sports involving jumping and running, increased attention should be given to strengthening the antagonist muscle groups (dorsiflexors) in order to achieve greater agonist-toantagonist muscle balance thus preventing injury. The non-athletic subjects had substantially lower endurance capability in both flexors as measured by the endurance ratio. This implies that identifiable specialization in particular muscles results from training or participating in specialized sports. Keywords: Ankle plantar flexion, ankle dorsiflexion, isokinetics, muscle endurance, torque ratio There has been increasing interest in the foot and ankle of the competitive athlete during the 1980s and early 1990s. Much interest has focused on muscle injury management and rehabilitation15. This study does not look at the aetiology of injuries. Aetiological investigations would further the prevention of athletics injuries and at the same time suggest parameters upon which athletes could be selected and trained.In view of this we would like to provide baseline isokinetic measurements of plantar-flexion and dor-

Most physiological profiles of élite soccer players originate from Western Europe and North America. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of descriptive data on the physical characteristics of Asian soccer players. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological profiles of élite soccer players in Hong Kong. It was conducted in conjunction with the selection of the Hong Kong team before the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. In all, 24 professional soccer players were selected from a pool of 180 players as subjects for the study. The following means(s.d.) were observed: height 173.4(4.6) cm; weight 67.7(5.0) kg; body fat 7.3(3.0)%; forced vital capacity (FVC) 5.1(0.6) l; maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) 59.1(4.9) ml kg-1 min-1; anaerobic threshold (AT 80.0(7.2)% of VO2max; alactic power index 13.5(2.4) W kg-1; lactic work index 298(27) J kg-1; peak isokinetic dominant knee extensor and flexor strengths 2.72(0.36) Nm kg-1 and 1.65(0.20) Nm kg-1. On average the physique of Hong Kong soccer players appeared to be smaller and lighter than those found in Europe, which may be one of the key factors that contribute to the lack of success of Hong Kong soccer teams in international competition.