Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
A Mouse Model of Ankle-Subtalar Complex Joint Instability
Published on: October 28, 2022
Males with chronic ankle instability exhibit sex-specific force sense deficits
Xin Liang1, Bin Shen1, Songlin Xiao2
1Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, 200438, China.
Objective:
To explore whether there are differences in sensorimotor function between sexes in individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI).
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Laboratory.
Participants:
50 (26 males/24 females) individuals with CAI and 40 (17 males/23 females) healthy controls (HC).
Main Outcome Measures:
Ankle muscle strength and proprioception were assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. Static balance performance was assessed by a one-leg standing task, and dynamic balance performance was tested using the Y-Balance test.
Results:
Compared with healthy controls, both males and females with CAI exhibited worse proprioception and balance control, but no difference in muscle strength. A significant group and sex interaction effect was observed of force sense in the dorsiflexion direction (F = 5.14, p = 0.026, ηp2 = 0.057). Post-hoc analysis showed that, the absolute error of force sense in males was significantly larger than females in the CAI group (p < 0.001), while there was no difference in the HC (p = 0.536).
Conclusion:
This finding indicated that among individuals with CAI, males are more likely to experience a greater impairment in the dorsiflexion direction of force sense than females. Future rehabilitation programs should consider targeted proprioceptive interventions for males to address this deficit effectively.
