Self-assessed disability and functional performance in individuals with and without ankle instability: a case control study.
METHODS
Single-blind case-control study.


OBJECTIVE
To compare functional performance and self-assessed disability scores among individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) and uninjured controls.


BACKGROUND
After an acute lateral ankle sprain, CAI develops in 40% to 75% of all individuals. However, some individuals, copers, maintain high-level activities after an ankle sprain and do not develop CAI. Studying differences between copers and those with CAI is the first step in developing a clinical battery of tests that can accurately determine which individuals are more likely to develop CAI after an acute lateral ankle sprain.


METHODS
Participants were 24 active adults with unilateral CAI (mean +/- SD age, 21.7 +/- 2.8 years), 24 copers (20.8 +/- 1.5 years), and 24 uninjured controls (21.8 +/- 2.6 years). Participants completed 3 questionnaires of self-assessed disability: (1) Foot and Ankle Disability Index, (2) Foot and Ankle Disability Index-Sport, and (3) a questionnaire of ankle function. Four hop tests were also completed: (1) figure-8 hop, (2) side-to-side hop, (3) triple-crossover hop, and (4) single-leg hop for distance.


RESULTS
Self-assessed disability was significantly different among groups (P<.001), but hop test scores (P = .259) were not. Those with CAI had greater self-assessed disability than copers and uninjured controls. Copers and uninjured controls did not differ in self-assessed disability or functional performance.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-assessed disability is significantly greater in those with CAI than copersand uninjured controls. However, functional performance, measured by hop tests, did not differ among groups.
Wikstrom
Erik A
EA
Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA. ewikstrom@uncc.edu
Tillman
Mark D
MD
Chmielewski
Terese L
TL
Cauraugh
James H
JH
Naugle
Keith E
KE
Borsa
Paul A
PA
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult