The correlation between postural control and upper limb position sense in people with chronic ankle instability

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is linked to proprioception deficits, but it's unclear if this affects overall motor control or specific ankle functions.
• Investigating the central neural control mechanisms in CAI is crucial for understanding functional deficits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the correlation between lower limb postural control and upper limb position sense in individuals with CAI.
• To explore the role of central neural control in the context of CAI.

Main Methods:

• 14 participants with CAI and 14 healthy controls performed single-limb stance postural control tests and shoulder position sense tests.
• Postural stability was measured using the Overall Stability Index (OSI), and shoulder position sense using the Absolute Error Score (AES).
• Pearson correlations were calculated between lower limb stability and upper limb position sense scores for both groups.

Main Results:

• Healthy controls showed significant correlations between ankle stability and shoulder position sense, particularly on the non-preferred side.
• In the CAI group, significant correlations were only found between the stability scores of both ankles.
• Both groups exhibited similar levels of lower limb postural control and upper limb position sense individually.

Conclusions:

• While individuals with CAI maintain comparable limb-specific motor control to healthy individuals, the inter-limb coordination is diminished.
• The loss of correlation between upper and lower limb control in CAI highlights a potential central neural adaptation.
• Clinicians should consider incorporating activities that enhance upper and lower extremity coordination in neuromuscular training programs for CAI patients.