scholarly journals Weight-Bearing Dorsiflexion Range of Motion and Landing Biomechanics in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 833-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Hoch ◽  
Kelley E. Farwell ◽  
Stacey L. Gaven ◽  
Joshua T. Weinhandl

Context  People with chronic ankle instability (CAI) exhibit less weight-bearing dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) and less knee flexion during landing than people with stable ankles. Examining the relationship between dorsiflexion ROM and landing biomechanics may identify a modifiable factor associated with altered kinematics and kinetics during landing tasks. Objective  To examine the relationship between weight-bearing dorsiflexion ROM and single-legged landing biomechanics in persons with CAI. Design  Cross-sectional study. Setting  Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants  Fifteen physically active persons with CAI (5 men, 10 women; age = 21.9 ± 2.1 years, height = 168.7 ± 9.0 cm, mass = 69.4 ± 13.3 kg) participated. Intervention(s)  Participants performed dorsiflexion ROM and single-legged landings from a 40-cm height. Sagittal-plane kinematics of the lower extremity and ground reaction forces (GRFs) were captured during landing. Main Outcome Measure(s)  Static dorsiflexion was measured using the weight-bearing–lunge test. Kinematics of the ankle, knee, and hip were observed at initial contact, maximum angle, and sagittal displacement. Sagittal displacements of the ankle, knee, and hip were summed to examine overall sagittal displacement. Kinetic variables were maximum posterior and vertical GRFs normalized to body weight. We used Pearson product moment correlations to evaluate the relationships between dorsiflexion ROM and landing biomechanics. Correlations (r) were interpreted as weak (0.00–0.40), moderate (0.41–0.69), or strong (0.70–1.00). The coefficient of determination (r2) was used to determine the amount of explained variance among variables. Results  Static dorsiflexion ROM was moderately correlated with maximum dorsiflexion (r = 0.49, r2 = 0.24), ankle displacement (r = 0.47, r2 = 0.22), and total displacement (r = 0.67, r2 = 0.45) during landing. Dorsiflexion ROM measured statically and during landing demonstrated moderate to strong correlations with maximum knee (r = 0.69–0.74, r2 = 0.47–0.55) and hip (r = 0.50–0.64, r2 = 0.25–0.40) flexion, hip (r = 0.53–0.55, r2 = 0.28–0.30) and knee (r = 0.53–0.70, r2 = 0.28–0.49) displacement, and vertical GRF (−0.47– −0.50, r2 = 0.22–0.25). Conclusions  Dorsiflexion ROM was moderately to strongly related to sagittal-plane kinematics and maximum vertical GRF during single-legged landing in persons with CAI. Persons with less dorsiflexion ROM demonstrated a more erect landing posture and greater GRF.

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron J. Powden ◽  
Kathleen K. Hogan ◽  
Erik A. Wikstrom ◽  
Matthew C. Hoch

Context:Talocrural joint mobilizations are commonly used to address deficits associated with chronic ankle instability (CAI).Objective:Examine the immediate effects of talocrural joint traction in those with CAI.Design:Blinded, crossover.Setting:Laboratory.Participants:Twenty adults (14 females; age = 23.80 ± 4.02 y; height = 169.55 ± 12.38 cm; weight = 78.34 ± 16.32 kg) with self-reported CAI participated. Inclusion criteria consisted of a history of ≥1 ankle sprain, ≥2 episodes of giving way in the previous 3 mo, answering “yes” to ≥4 questions on the Ankle Instability Instrument, and ≤24 on the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool.Intervention:Subjects participated in 3 sessions in which they received a single treatment session of sustained traction (ST), oscillatory traction (OT), or a sham condition in a randomized order. Interventions consisted of four 30-s sets of traction with 1 min of rest between sets. During ST and OT, the talus was distracted distally from the ankle mortise to the end-range of accessory motion. ST consisted of continuous distraction and OT involved 1-s oscillations between the mid and end-range of accessory motion. The sham condition consisted of physical contact without force application. Preintervention and postintervention measurements of weight-bearing dorsiflexion, dynamic balance, and static single-limb balance were collected.Main Outcome Measures:The independent variable was treatment (ST, OT, sham). The dependent variables included pre-to-posttreatment change scores for the WBLT (cm), normalized SEBTAR (%), and time-to-boundary (TTB) variables(s). Separate 1-way ANOVAs examined differences between treatments for each dependent variable. Alpha was set a priori at P < .05.Results:No significant treatment effects were identified for any variables.Conclusion:A single intervention of ST or OT did not produce significant changes in weight-bearing dorsiflexion range of motion or postural control in individuals with CAI. Future research should investigate the effects of repeated talocrural traction treatments and the effects of this technique when combined with other manual therapies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 151-155
Author(s):  
Jacob T. Hartzell ◽  
Kyle B. Kosik ◽  
Matthew C. Hoch ◽  
Phillip A. Gribble

Clinical Scenario: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is characterized by the residual symptoms and feelings of instability that persist after an acute ankle sprain. Current literature has identified several neuromuscular impairments associated with CAI that may negatively impact sagittal plane knee kinematics during dynamic activities. This has led researchers to begin examining sagittal plane knee kinematics during jump landing tasks. Understanding changes in movement patterns at the knee may assist clinicians in designing rehabilitation plans that target both the ankle and more proximal joints, such as the knee. Clinical Question: What is the evidence to support the notion that patients with CAI have decreased sagittal plane knee flexion angle at initial contact during a jump-landing task compared to healthy individuals? Summary of Key Findings: The literature was systematically searched for level 4 evidence or higher. The search yielded two case-control studies which met the inclusion criteria. Based on limited evidence, there are mixed results for whether sagittal plane knee kinematic at initial contact differ between those with and without CAI. Clinical Bottom Line: There is weak evidence to support changes in sagittal plane knee kinematics at initial contact during a jump landing in individuals with CAI compared to healthy controls. Strength of Recommendation: In accordance with the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, a grade of C for level 4 evidence is recommended due to variable findings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (13) ◽  
pp. 1009-1017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumeng Li ◽  
Jupil Ko ◽  
Marika Walker ◽  
Cathleen Brown ◽  
Julianne Schmidt ◽  
...  

AbstractThe primary purpose of the study was to determine whether atypical knee biomechanics are exhibited during landing on an inverted surface. A seven-camera motion analysis system and two force plates were used to collect lower extremity biomechanics from two groups of female participants: 21 subjects with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and 21 with pair-matched controls. Subjects performed ten landings onto inverted and flat platforms on the CAI/matched and non-test limbs, respectively. Knee and ankle joint angles, joint angular displacements, joint moments and eccentric work were calculated during the landing phase and/or at the initial contact. Paired t-tests were used to compare between-group differences (p<0.05). We observed that CAI group displayed a significantly increased knee flexion angle, knee flexion displacement, peak knee extension moment and internal rotation moment, and eccentric work in the sagittal plane, possibly due to altered ankle biomechanics. Participants with CAI employed some compensatory strategy to improve their ankle and postural stability during landing onto the tilted surface. The increased knee extension and internal rotation moments of CAI participants could potentially result in a greater ACL loading. In future studies, it may be worthwhile to measure or estimate the ACL loading to confirm whether CAI could relate to the mechanism of ACL injury.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew C. Hoch ◽  
David R. Mullineaux ◽  
Kyoungkyu Jeon ◽  
Patrick O. McKeon

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.


Author(s):  
Kyle B. Kosik ◽  
Masafumi Terada ◽  
Ryan S. McCann ◽  
Colin P. Drinkard ◽  
Phillip A. Gribble

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brad W. Willis ◽  
Katie Hocker ◽  
Swithin Razu ◽  
Aaron D. Gray ◽  
Marjorie Skubic ◽  
...  

Context: Knee abduction angle (KAA), as measured by 3-dimensional marker-based motion capture systems during jump-landing tasks, has been correlated with an elevated risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury in females. Due to the high cost and inefficiency of KAA measurement with marker-based motion capture, surrogate 2-dimensional frontal plane measures have gained attention for injury risk screening. The knee-to-ankle separation ratio (KASR) and medial knee position (MKP) have been suggested as potential frontal plane surrogate measures to the KAA, but investigations into their relationship to the KAA during a bilateral drop vertical jump task are limited. Objective: To investigate the relationship between KASR and MKP to the KAA during initial contact of the bilateral drop vertical jump. Design: Descriptive. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Participants: A total of 18 healthy female participants (mean age: 24.1 [3.88] y, mass: 65.18 [10.34] kg, and height: 1.63 [0.06] m). Intervention: Participants completed 5 successful drop vertical jump trials measured by a Vicon marker-based motion capture system and 2 AMTI force plates. Main Outcome Measure: For each jump, KAA of the tibia relative to the femur was measured at initial contact along with the KASR and MKP calculated from planar joint center data. The coefficient of determination (r2) was used to examine the relationship between the KASR and MKP to KAA. Results: A strong linear relationship was observed between MKP and KAA (r2 = .71), as well as between KASR and KAA (r2 = .72). Conclusions: Two-dimensional frontal plane measures show strong relationships to the KAA during the bilateral drop vertical jump.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document