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Ankle instability patients exhibit landing kinematics suggestive of ACL injury risk

By Jordana Bieze Foster

Sagittal plane landing kinematics in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) mimic those associated with risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, sug­gest­ing that similar neuromuscular control deficits may be involved in both processes, according to research from the University of Toledo (OH) presented in late May at the ACSM meeting.

During vertical stop jumps, 20 patients with CAI landed with significantly less knee flexion at the time of peak proximal tibia anterior shear force (TASF) than 20 healthy individuals. Both decreased knee flexion and increased TASF have been previously reported to be risk factors for ACL injury.

The Toledo researchers found a significant correlation between peak TASF and peak ground reaction force in the CAI group and between peak TASF and knee flexion angle in both groups.

The findings are consistent with those of a 2010 study from the same group in which knee flexion in preparation for landing was significantly lower in 19 patients with CAI than in 19 healthy individuals.

Sources:

Terada M, Pietrosimone BG, Armstrong CW, Gribble PA. Examining biomechan­ical factors related to anterior cruciate ligament injury in individuals with chron­ic ankle instability. Presented at 59th an­nual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, San Francisco, May 2012.

Gribble P, Robinson R. Differences in spati­otemporal landing variables during a dynamic stability task in subjects with CAI. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2010; 20(1):e63-e71.

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