Differences in men's and women's mean ankle ligamentous laxity

The incidence of ligamentous ankle injuries is known to be one of the most common athletic injuries that exists. Recently, there has been a great deal of interest regarding the increased risk of female ligamentous injury, such as the anterior cruciate ligament, lateral ankle sprains and others. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether or not normal lateral ankle ligamentous laxity is similar in male and female athletes. This study selects 22 male and 27 female college athletes who have had no significant ligamentous ankle injuries requiring medical treatment. They were placed on a Telos ligamentous stress device and stressed to a level of 15 daN. Radiographs were then obtained to determine talar tilt at this level of ankle stress. Results were compared between men and women showing that there was a statistically significant difference. Women had a much greater ligamentous laxity of the lateral ankle than men.