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The effects of ankle compliance and flexibility on ankle sprains
I C Wright1, R R Neptune, A J van den Bogert
1Human Performance Laboratory, University of Calgary, Canada. ian.wright@adidasus.com
Purpose:
The goal of this study was to examine the influence of changes in subtalar joint flexibility and compliance on ankle sprain occurrence.
Methods:
Muscle model driven simulations of 10 subjects performing the landing phase of a side-shuffle movement were performed. The passive flexibility or compliance of the subtalar joint was varied, and each subject-specific simulation was exposed to a set of perturbed floor conditions.
Results:
Increases in flexibility and compliance both led to an increase in the occurrence of excessive supination, while changes in flexibility had a greater influence. Changes in flexibility or compliance caused only small changes in the occurrence of excessive supination torques.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that increased mechanical laxity does not directly cause an increase in sprain occurrence during side-shuffle movements.