THE INFLUENCE OF ANKLE SPRAINS ON PROPRIOCEPTION

Abstract

Ankle sprain is the most common and frequent injury in sports. The current study used the BIODEX System III isokinetic dynamometer to assess if ankle injury would impair proprioception. The ankles of 16 college-aged male subjects were tested: eight subjects with unilateral functional instability ankle sprain symptoms (FI), and eight with bilateral non-injury healthy ankle (NH). The BIODEX System III dynamometer was used to assess ankle proprioception function in both active and passive reposition sense. Results showed that the passive and active ankle reposition senses in the FI group were lower than those in the NH group. Such findings suggest that rehabilitation programs for sprained ankles should include proprioception training, especially in restoring passive reposition sense.