BIOMECHANICAL ADAPTATIONS FOLLOWING A LATERAL ANKLE SPRAIN INJURY: AN EXPLANATION FOR CHRONIC ANKLE INSTABILITY?

Karoline Cheung¹, Patria Hume¹, Sharon Walt².

¹Auckland University of Technology. ²University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether biomechanical adaptations play a clinically significant role in chronic ankle instability following lateral ankle sprain injury. Synchronised 3D motion analysis was conducted on 32 grade II lateral ankle sprain patients (grouped by functional stability score into copers and non-copers) during a dynamic cutting maneuvre. Simultaneous EMG and force data were collected and compared for the injured and non-injured limbs. Copers could be distinguished from non-copers by certain EMG and ground reaction force parameters. Other distinctions could also be made between the injured and non-injured limbs. However these variables did not show significant group-by-side interactions to explain the symptoms of unilateral functional instability experienced by the non-coper group.