title: Anterior cruciate ligament injury and ankle dorsiflexion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to study whether the degree of ankle dorsiflexion differs between subjects with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and uninjured controls. Another aim was to study ankle dorsiflexion between the injured and the uninjured leg and in addition between women and men with an ACL injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty subjects (ACL injury, n = 30 and controls, n = 30) were enroled consecutively at two physical therapy settings. Ankle dorsiflexion was measured with a goniometer in a standardized way in a weight-bearing lunge position.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant difference (p < 0.001) in ankle dorsiflexion between subjects with an ACL injury (mean 41.1° SD 5.7) and those without (mean 46.6° SD 5.3). No difference in ankle dorsiflexion was found between the injured leg and the uninjured or between women and men with ACL injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings suggest lower degree of ankle dorsiflexion in subjects with an ACL injury than in uninjured controls. A functional test measuring ankle dorsiflexion with a goniometer may be one way of identifying individuals at increased risk of ACL injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparative study, Level II.
authors.affiliation: Uppsala University, S:t Olofsgatan 10B, 753 12, Uppsala, Sweden. lotta.wahlstedt@gmail.com.|Täby Rehab Center, Kemistvägen 1, 18379, Täby, Sweden. lotta.wahlstedt@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Charlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wahlstedt
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Alfred Nobels allé 23, 141 83, Huddinge, Sweden. eva.rasmussen.barr@ki.se.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rasmussen-Barr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D053587:Arthrometry, Articular; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ACL injury; Ankle; Dorsiflexion; Knee; Valgus