Association between the Beighton Score and Stress Ultrasonographic Findings of the Anterior Talofibular Ligament in Healthy Young Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The Beighton score (BS) is widely used to evaluate generalized joint laxity. However, the association between the BS and lateral ankle laxity is unclear. This study compared the ultrasonographic (US) findings of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) between high- (≥6) and low- (≤3) BS groups of healthy young women. The ATFL lengths of healthy young women were measured in the stress and nonstress positions using the previously reported technique from March 2021 to January 2022. The ATFL ratio (ratio of stress to nonstress ATFL length) was used as an indicator of lateral ankle laxity. The anterior drawer test (ADT) was performed. The correlation between the BS and US findings was also examined. A total of 20 (high-BS group) and 61 (low-BS group) subjects with a mean age of 23.8 ± 1.0 years were included. The high-BS group showed a higher grade of ADT than the low-BS group. No significant differences were found in the nonstress and stress ATFL lengths and ATFL ratio (1.10 ± 0.05 vs. 1.09 ± 0.05, p = 0.19) between the groups. No correlation was found between the BS and US findings. In conclusion, this study did not detect significant differences in the US findings of the ATFL between the high- and low-BS groups.