Bilateral Proprioceptive Evaluation in Individuals With Unilateral Chronic Ankle Instability.
BACKGROUND
Despite extensive research on chronic ankle instability, the findings regarding proprioception have been conflicting and focused only on the injured limb. Also, the different components of proprioception have been evaluated in isolation.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate bilateral ankle proprioception in individuals with unilateral ankle instability.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Research laboratory center in a university.


METHODS
Twenty-four individuals with a history of unilateral ankle sprain and chronic ankle instability (mechanical ankle instability group, n = 10; functional ankle instability [FAI] group, n = 14) and 20 controls.


METHODS
Ankle active and passive joint position sense, kinesthesia, and force sense.


RESULTS
We observed a significant interaction between the effects of limb and group for kinesthesia (F = 3.27, P = .049). Increased error values were observed in the injured limb of the FAI group compared with the control group (P = .031, Cohen d = 0.47). Differences were also evident for force sense (F = 9.31, P < .001): the FAI group demonstrated increased error versus the control group (injured limb: P < .001, Cohen d = 1.28; uninjured limb: P = .009, Cohen d = 0.89) and the mechanical ankle instability group (uninjured limb: P = .023, Cohen d = 0.76).


CONCLUSIONS
Individuals with unilateral FAI had increased error ipsilaterally (injured limb) for inversion movement detection (kinesthesia) and evertor force sense and increased error contralaterally (uninjured limb) for evertor force sense.
Escola Superior de Saúde do Porto, Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Actividade Humana, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal.
Andreia S P
ASP
Sousa
Escola Superior de Saúde do Porto, Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Actividade Humana, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal.
João
J
Leite
Escola Superior de Saúde do Porto, Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Actividade Humana, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal.
Bianca
B
Costa
Escola Superior de Saúde do Porto, Centro de Estudos de Movimento e Actividade Humana, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal.
Rubim
R
Santos
D000842:Ankle / Q000503:physiopathology; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
force sense; functional ankle instability; joint position sense; kinesthesia; mechanical ankle stability