Does ipsilateral chronic ankle instability alter kinematics of the other joints of the lower extremities: a biomechanical study

Abstract

Purpose We evaluated and compared kinematics of bilateral ankle, knee, and hip joints in patients with chronic unilateral ankle instability (CAI) with healthy controls. Methods Fifteen individuals diagnosed with CAI and a control group of 16 individuals were matched. Different peaks within the gait cycle (at different intervals) for the dorsiplantar, inversion/eversion, and abduction/adduction axis were compared between injured and uninjured sides of patients with CAI with a control group. Results Comparison of the uninjured ankle in CAI with the control group showed higher dorsiflexion in one peak of the stance phase (p = 0.003), higher inversion in one peak of the stance phase (p = 0.022), and the swing phase (p = 0.004). The hip joint of the uninjured side showed higher extension in one peak of the stance phase (p < 0.001), and two peaks of the swing phase (p < 0.05). Furthermore, it showed higher adduction in one peak of the foot flat to mid-stance phase (p = 0.001), higher abduction in one peak of the late swing phase (p = 0.047), and the swing phase (p = 0.032). The knee joint of the uninjured side showed higher flexion in all measured peaks of the gait cycle (p < 0.05) (except for one peak in the late swing phase) compared to the control group. Conclusion Chronic ankle instability results in altered biomechanics of the ipsilateral knee as well as the contralateral ankle, knee, and hip joints. The alterations caused by CAI may predispose patients to overuse and/or acute injuries of other joints of lower extremities during routine and sporting activity.

Not Only in Sensorimotor Network: Local and Distant Cerebral Inherent Activity of Chronic Ankle Instability—A Resting-State fMRI Study

“…Notably, our results revealed that the ipsilateral sensorimotor network was more activated in CAI patients, probably due to the compensation of the unaffected ankle (left ankle). Some studies have found that CAI patients transformed their gait and posture to compensate for the injured ankle (Levin et al, 2015;Ziabari et al, 2021), which implied reassignment of cerebral function. Under physiological conditions, the two hemispheres are mutually inhibited, but the inhibition can be upset in certain circumstances, and cerebral function can be redistributed (Zhang J. et al, 2021).…”

Cross‐cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of the ankle joint functional assessment tool (AJFAT) questionnaire

“…The AJFAT-C results are based on a comparison of the affected side with the contralateral limb. However, recent studies have shown that patients with unilateral ankle instability also depict some degree of ankle dysfunction in the other limb compared to healthy individuals [ 37 – 39 ], which could potentially be a limiting factor in the practical application of the AJFAT-C. Additionally, during the cross-cultural adaptation of the AJFAT-C, the healthy college students reported that some of the questions in the scale were not easy to answer for respondents without a history of ankle sprain. This highlights, that the practical application of the AJFAT-C is limited to patients with a history of ankle sprain and is not recommended for assessment ankle stability in healthy subjects.…”

Effects of ankle Kinesio taping on knee and ankle joint biomechanics during unanticipated jumps in collegiate athletes

“…A study showed that 45% of ankle sprains in basketball players occur during landing [ 15 ]. Given that the lower limbs operate as an integrated entity, changes in a joint’s movement pattern invariably trigger modifications in the neighboring joints [ 16 ]. Theisen et al [ 17 ] reported that patients with chronic ankle instability have reduced knee flexion angles compared with the healthy control group, implying a higher risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.…”