Ankle inversion proprioception measured during stair descent can identify chronic ankle instability

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Kinesiology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Chronic ankle instability (CAI) often involves recurrent sprains and proprioceptive deficits.
• Proprioceptive impairments during daily activities like stair descent are not well-evaluated in CAI.
• This study addresses the need to assess ankle proprioception specifically during stair descent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the reliability and validity of a novel ankle inversion discrimination apparatus for assessing stair descent.
• To investigate the association between proprioceptive scores from the apparatus and patient-reported symptoms in CAI.
• To evaluate ankle proprioception during a functional task relevant to CAI.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 66 participants.
• Development of a custom apparatus to measure ankle proprioception at four inversion angles (10-16°) during stair descent.
• Utilized the Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUC) as the primary proprioceptive discrimination score.

Main Results:

• The apparatus demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ICC=0.825 overall).
• Participants with CAI showed significantly poorer ankle proprioception during stair descent compared to non-CAI individuals (0.769 vs. 0.830, p<0.001).
• Ankle proprioception scores strongly correlated with patient-reported CAI symptoms (Spearman's rho=0.730, p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• The ankle inversion discrimination apparatus is a reliable and valid tool for assessing stair descent-specific proprioceptive deficits in CAI.
• The strong correlation highlights the clinical relevance of ankle proprioception during stair descent for CAI symptom severity.
• Rehabilitation targeting ankle inversion proprioception during stair descent may improve self-reported instability in CAI.