title: Fibular motor nerve conduction studies and ankle sensorimotor capacities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nerve conduction studies provide information regarding the status of peripheral nerves, but relationships with sensorimotor capacities that influence mobility have not been defined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary analysis was conducted on data from 41 older subjects (20 women and 21 men, age 69.1 ± 8.3 years), including 25 with diabetic neuropathy of varying severity and 16 without diabetes or neuropathy. Measurements included routine fibular motor nerve conduction studies and laboratory-based determination of ankle inversion/eversion proprioceptive thresholds and ankle inversion/eversion motor function.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Independent of age, fibular amplitude correlated robustly with ankle inversion/eversion proprioceptive thresholds (R(2) = 0.591, P < 0.001), moderately with ankle inversion and eversion rates of torque generation (R(2) = 0.216; P = 0.004 and R(2) = 0.200; P = 0.006, respectively), and more strongly when fibular motor amplitude was normalized for body mass index (R(2) = 0.350; P < 0.001 and R(2) = 0.275; P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fibular motor amplitude was strongly associated with ankle sensorimotor capacities that influence lateral balance and recovery from perturbations during gait. The results suggest that nerve conduction study measures have potential for an expanded clinical role in evaluating mobility function in the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, 325 East Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108, USA. jkrich@umich.edu
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Allet
authors.forename: Hogene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ashton-Miller
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D003943:Diagnostic Techniques, Neurological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology*; D010543:Peroneal Nerve / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020427:Peroneal Neuropathies / Q000503:physiopathology; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology