| Abstract ID |
| 20260051 |
| Category |
| Foot & Ankle |
| Preferable Presentation |
| Oral Presentation |
| Title |
| PROPRIOCEPTIVE IMPAIRMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND THEIR CORRELATION WITH INVERSION INJURY RISK IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC ANKLE INSTABILITY |
| Author |
|
| Presenter |
| Junjun Li |
| Abstract |
| example Background Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) face a markedly elevated risk of inversion sprains, and this vulnerability may be largely attributable to impaired proprioceptive acuity. During movement, proprioception integrates afferent input from mechanoreceptors around the ankle—including muscle spindles, the joint capsule, and ligaments—through multilevel neural pathways, enabling rapid detection of abrupt, abnormal increases in inversion angle. This information is then used to precisely regulate relevant neuromuscular activity via neural feedback mechanisms, allowing timely adjustments in movement patterns and helping to prevent recurrent sprains. However, the specific characteristics of proprioceptive deficits in CAI remain controversial, and evidence linking these deficits to increased landing-phase injury risk is inconsistent. Objectives This study aimed to quantify proprioceptive deficits in individuals with CAI and to further examine whether such deficits may prospectively increase the risk of recurrent lateral ankle sprains. Study design Thirty participants were recruited, including 15 individuals with CAI (age 20.45±1.80 years; height 1.71±0.06 m; weight 68.62±10.7 kg) and 15 controls (age 20.96±1.84 years; height 1.72±0.08 m; weight 69.30±11.18 kg). An ankle proprioception assessment equipment (Tosimi Company, Jinan, Shandong, China）was used to quantify ankle proprioception via passive motion detection tests in four directions: plantarflexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion. The passive motion detection threshold served as the primary outcome. A custom-designed simulated ankle sprain device was used to conduct 30-cm drop-jump tests to assess the risk of injury. The apparatus consists of three main components: a take-off platform, a support platform, and a movable platform. The movable platform initiates inversion once a force of 10 N is applied to its surface, with maximum allowable tilting angles of 24°in inversion and 15°in plantarflexion. Kinematic data were collected using a 100-Hz infrared motion capture system (Vicon, Oxford Metrics Ltd., UK) to calculate the maximum inversion angle during landing as a quantitative measure. Independent samples t-tests and Person correlation analyses were performed for statistical analyses. Results Shapiro–Wilk tests indicated that all data were normally distributed. No significant between-group differences were found in age, height, or body mass (p > 0.05). Independent-samples t-tests revealed that, compared to the control group, the CAI group demonstrated significantly reduced proprioceptive acuity in all four directions (all p<0.05). Correlation analyses revealed that reduced proprioceptive accuracy in plantarflexion (r=0.512, p=0.038) and inversion (r=0.604, p=0.019) was significantly associated with excessive increases in inversion angle during the landing phase of the drop-jump task. Conclusion Individuals with CAI exhibit significant deficits in ankle proprioception. In particular, proprioceptive impairments in plantarflexion and inversion may be key factors contributing to the increased risk of inversion sprains.Future studies should develop targeted interventions addressing these proprioceptive deficits to reduce reinjury risk in individuals with CAI and improve rehabilitation outcomes. |