Ankle Bracing Alters Coordination and Coordination Variability in Individuals With and Without Chronic Ankle Instability

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-69
Author(s):  
Adam E. Jagodinsky ◽  
Christopher Wilburn ◽  
Nick Moore ◽  
John W. Fox ◽  
Wendi H. Weimar
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Relative Phase ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Swing Phase ◽  
Coordination Dynamics ◽  
Ankle Brace ◽  
Ankle Bracing

Context: Ankle bracing is an effective form of injury prophylaxis implemented for individuals with and without chronic ankle instability, yet mechanisms surrounding bracing efficacy remain in question. Ankle bracing has been shown to invoke biomechanical and neuromotor alterations that could influence lower-extremity coordination strategies during locomotion and contribute to bracing efficacy. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ankle bracing on lower-extremity coordination and coordination dynamics during walking in healthy individuals, ankle sprain copers, and individuals with chronic ankle instability. Design: Mixed factorial design. Setting: Laboratory setting. Participants: Forty-eight recreationally active individuals (16 per group) participated in this cross-sectional study. Intervention: Participants completed 15 trials of over ground walking with and without an ankle brace. Main Outcome Measures: Coordination and coordination variability of the foot–shank, shank–thigh, and foot–thigh were assessed during stance and swing phases of the gait cycle through analysis of segment relative phase and relative phase deviation, respectively. Results: Bracing elicited more synchronous, or locked, motion of the sagittal plane foot–shank coupling throughout swing phase and early stance phase, and more asynchronous motion of remaining foot–shank and foot–thigh couplings during early swing phase. Bracing also diminished coordination variability of foot–shank, foot–thigh, and shank–thigh couplings during swing phase of the gait cycle, indicating greater pattern stability. No group differences were observed. Conclusions: Greater stability of lower-extremity coordination patterns as well as spatiotemporal locking of the foot–shank coupling during terminal swing may work to guard against malalignment at foot contact and contribute to the efficacy of ankle bracing. Ankle bracing may also act antagonistically to interventions fostering functional variability.

scholarly journals Gait Kinematics After Taping in Participants With Chronic Ankle Instability

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Chinn ◽  
Jay Dicharry ◽  
Joseph M. Hart ◽  
Susan Saliba ◽  
Robert Wilder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Gait Cycle ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Knee Kinematics ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Ankle Sprains ◽  
Lateral Ankle ◽  
Gait Kinematics

Context: Chronic ankle instability is characterized by repetitive lateral ankle sprains. Prophylactic ankle taping is a common intervention used to reduce the risk of ankle sprains. However, little research has been conducted to evaluate the effect ankle taping has on gait kinematics. Objective: To investigate the effect of taping on ankle and knee kinematics during walking and jogging in participants with chronic ankle instability. Design: Controlled laboratory study. Setting: Motion analysis laboratory. Patients or Participants: A total of 15 individuals (8 men, 7 women; age = 26.9 ± 6.8 years, height = 171.7 ± 6.3 cm, mass = 73.5 ± 10.7 kg) with self-reported chronic ankle instability volunteered. They had an average of 5.3 ± 3.1 incidences of ankle sprain. Intervention(s): Participants walked and jogged in shoes on a treadmill while untaped and taped. The tape technique was a traditional preventive taping procedure. Conditions were randomized. Main Outcome Measure(s): Frontal-plane and sagittal-plane ankle and sagittal-plane knee kinematics were recorded throughout the entire gait cycle. Group means and 90% confidence intervals were calculated, plotted, and inspected for percentages of the gait cycle in which the confidence intervals did not overlap. Results: During walking, participants were less plantar flexed from 64% to 69% of the gait cycle (mean difference = 5.73° ± 0.54°) and less inverted from 51% to 61% (mean difference = 4.34° ± 0.65°) and 76% to 81% (mean difference = 5.55° ± 0.54°) of the gait cycle when taped. During jogging, participants were less dorsiflexed from 12% to 21% (mean difference = 4.91° ± 0.18°) and less inverted from 47% to 58% (mean difference = 6.52° ± 0.12°) of the gait cycle when taped. No sagittal-plane knee kinematic differences were found. Conclusions: In those with chronic ankle instability, taping resulted in a more neutral ankle position during walking and jogging in shoes on a treadmill. This change in foot positioning and the mechanical properties of the tape may explain the protective aspect of taping in preventing lateral ankle sprains.

scholarly journals Lower Extremity Biomechanics During a Drop-Vertical Jump in Participants With or Without Chronic Ankle Instability

2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Collin Herb ◽  
Kaitlyn Grossman ◽  
Mark A. Feger ◽  
Luke Donovan ◽  
Jay Hertel
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Motion Capture ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Vertical Jump ◽  
Plantar Flexion ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Vertical Ground Reaction Force ◽  
Drop Vertical Jump

Context:  Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a condition characterized by range-of-motion, neuromuscular, and postural-control deficits and subjective disability, reinjury, and posttraumatic osteoarthritis. Differences have been reported in kinematics, kinetics, surface electromyography (EMG), and ground reaction forces during functional tasks performed by those with CAI. These measures are often collected independently, and the research on collecting measures simultaneously during a movement task is limited. Objective:  To assess the kinematics and kinetics of the lower extremity, vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), and EMG of 4 shank muscles during a drop–vertical-jump (DVJ) task. Design:  Controlled laboratory study. Setting:  Motion-capture laboratory. Patients or Other Participants:  Forty-seven young, active adults in either the CAI (n = 24) or control (n = 23) group. Intervention(s):  Three-dimensional motion capture was performed using an electromagnetic motion-capture system. Lower extremity kinematics, frontal- and sagittal-plane kinetics, vGRF, and EMG of the shank musculature were collected while participants performed 10 DVJs. Main Outcome Measure(s):  Means and 90% confidence intervals were calculated for all measures from 100 milliseconds before to 200 milliseconds after force-plate contact. Results:  Patients with CAI had greater inversion from 107 to 200 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 4.01° ± 2.55°), smaller plantar-flexion kinematics from 11 to 71 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 5.33° ± 2.02°), greater ankle sagittal-plane kinetics from 11 to 77 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 0.17 ± 0.09 Nm/kg) and from 107 to 200 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 0.23 ± 0.03 Nm/kg), and smaller knee sagittal-plane kinematics from 95 to 200 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 8.23° ± 0.97°) than control participants after landing. The patients with CAI had greater vGRF from 94 to 98 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 0.83 ± 0.03 N/kg) and peroneal activity from 17 to 128 milliseconds postcontact (difference = 10.56 ± 4.52 N/kg) than the control participants. Conclusions:  Patients with CAI presented with differences in their landing strategies that may be related to continued instability. Kinematic and kinetic changes after ground contact and greater vGRF may be related to a faulty landing strategy. The DVJ task should be considered for rehabilitation protocols in these individuals.

scholarly journals Sagittal Plane Gait Kinematics in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Hoch ◽  
David R. Mullineaux ◽  
Kyoungkyu Jeon ◽  
Patrick O. McKeon
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Gait Kinematics ◽  
Ankle Kinematics ◽  
Absorption Phase

Single joint kinematic alterations have been identified during gait in those with chronic ankle instability (CAI). The purpose of this study was to compare sagittal plane hip, knee, and ankle kinematics during walking in participants with and without CAI. Twelve individuals with CAI and 12 healthy individuals walked on a treadmill at 1.5 m/s. Three-dimensional kinematics were analyzed using mean ensemble curves and independent t tests. Participants with CAI demonstrated less lower extremity flexion during the absorption phase of stance and the limb placement phase of swing, which may have implications for limb placement at initial contact.

scholarly journals People with chronic ankle instability benefit from brace application in highly dynamic change of direction movements

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Fuerst ◽  
Albert Gollhofer ◽  
Markus Wenning ◽  
Dominic Gehring
Keyword(s):  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Mechanical Resistance ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Neuromuscular Activation ◽  
Ankle Inversion ◽  
Ankle Brace

Abstract Background The application of ankle braces is an effective method for the prevention of recurrent ankle sprains. It has been proposed that the reduction of injury rates is based on the mechanical stiffness of the brace and on beneficial effects on proprioception and neuromuscular activation. Yet, how the neuromuscular system responds to the application of various types of ankle braces during highly dynamic injury-relevant movements is not well understood. Enhanced stability of the ankle joint seems especially important for people with chronic ankle instability. We therefore aimed to analyse the effects of a soft and a semi-rigid ankle brace on the execution of highly dynamic 180° turning movements in participants with and without chronic ankle instability. Methods Fifteen participants with functional ankle instability, 15 participants with functional and mechanical ankle instability and 15 healthy controls performed 180° turning movements in reaction to light signals in a cross-sectional descriptive laboratory study. Ankle joint kinematics and kinetics as well as neuromuscular activation of muscles surrounding the ankle joint were determined. Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance and post-hoc t-tests were calculated. Results Maximum ankle inversion angles and velocities were significantly reduced with the semi-rigid brace in comparison to the conditions without a brace and with the soft brace (p ≤ 0.006, d ≥ 0.303). Effect sizes of these reductions were larger in participants with chronic ankle instability than in healthy controls. Furthermore, peroneal activation levels decreased significantly with the semi-rigid brace in the 100 ms before and after ground contact. No statistically significant brace by group effects were found. Conclusions Based on these findings, we argue that people with ankle instability in particular seem to benefit from a semi-rigid ankle brace, which allows them to keep ankle inversion angles in a range that is comparable to values of healthy people. Lower ankle inversion angles and velocities with a semi-rigid brace may explain reduced injury incidences with brace application. The lack of effect of the soft brace indicates that the primary mechanism behind the reduction of inversion angles and velocities is the mechanical resistance of the brace in the frontal plane.

Altered Lower Extremity Joint Energetic Patterns in Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability during Walking

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (5S) ◽  
pp. 745
Author(s):  
Trevor Fuhriman ◽  
Hyunsoo Kim ◽  
S. Jun Son ◽  
Jake Roush ◽  
Matthew K. Seeley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability

Lower-Extremity Motor Synergies in Individuals With and Without Chronic Ankle Instability

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 416-422
Author(s):  
Adam E. Jagodinsky ◽  
Rebecca Angles ◽  
Christopher Wilburn ◽  
Wendi H. Weimar
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Stance Phase ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Motor Synergies ◽  
Load Response ◽  
Motor Synergy ◽  
The Moment

Current theoretical models suggest that ankle sprain copers exhibit movement adaptations contributing to the avoidance of chronic ankle instability. However, few studies have examined adaptations at the level of biomechanical motor synergies. The purpose was to examine characteristics of the support moment synergy between individuals with chronic ankle instability, copers, and healthy individuals. A total of 48 individuals participated in the study. Lower-extremity kinetics and variability in the moment of force patterns were assessed during the stance phase of walking trials. The copers exhibited reductions in the support moment during the load response and preswing phase compared with the chronic ankle instability group, as well as during the terminal stance and preswing phase compared the healthy group. The copers also exhibited reductions in the hip extensor moment and ankle plantarflexion moment compared with healthy and chronic ankle instability groups during intervals of stance phase. Variability of the support moment and knee moment was greater in the copers compared with the chronic ankle instability group. Dampening of the support moment and select joint moments exhibited by the copers may indicate an adaptive mechanism to mitigate loading perturbations on the previously injured ankle. Heightened motor variability in copers may be indicative of a more adaptable motor synergy compared with individuals with chronic ankle instability.

Landing Kinematics and Isometric Hip Strength of Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (8) ◽  
pp. 969-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan S. McCann ◽  
Masafumi Terada ◽  
Kyle B. Kosik ◽  
Phillip A. Gribble
Keyword(s):  
Lower Extremity ◽  
Ankle Instability ◽  
External Rotation ◽  
Peak Torque ◽  
Chronic Ankle Instability ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Hip Strength ◽  
Hip Kinematics ◽  
Rotation Strength

Background: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is associated with hip strength deficits and altered movement in the lower extremity. However, it remains unclear how hip strength deficits contribute to lateral ankle sprain (LAS) mechanisms. We aimed to compare lower extremity landing kinematics and isometric hip strength between individuals with and without CAI and examine associations between hip kinematics and strength. Methods: Seventy-six individuals completed 5 single-leg landings, during which we collected three-dimensional ankle, knee, and hip kinematics from 200 milliseconds pre–initial contact to 50 milliseconds post–initial contact. We calculated average peak torque (Nm/kg) from 3 trials of isometric hip extension, abduction, and external rotation strength testing. One-way analyses of variance assessed group differences (CAI, LAS coper, and control) in hip strength and kinematics. Pearson product moment correlations assessed associations between hip kinematics and strength. We adjusted the kinematic group comparisons and correlation analyses for multiple comparisons using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. Results: The CAI group exhibited less hip abduction during landing than LAS copers and controls. The CAI group had lower hip external rotation strength than LAS copers ( P = .04, d = 0.62 [0.05, 1.17]) and controls ( P < .01, d = 0.87 [0.28, 1.43]). Effect sizes suggest that the CAI group had deficits in EXT compared with controls ( d = 0.63 [0.06, 1.19]). Hip strength was not associated with hip landing kinematics for any group. Conclusion: Altered landing mechanics displayed by the CAI group may promote mechanisms of LAS, but they are not associated with isometric hip strength. However, hip strength deficits may negatively impact other functional tasks, and they should still be considered during rehabilitation. Level of Evidence: Level III, case-control study.

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