Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Evaluation of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability With an Ankle Sprain Simulator: A Controlled Study in Physically
Matthieu Lalevée1,2,3, Marie-Anne Melone1,4, Maxime l'Hermette1
1CETAPS-UR 3832, Research Center for Sports and Athletic Activities Transformations, University of Rouen, Mont Saint Aignan, Normandy, France.
Purpose:
Chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI), categorized by repetitive ankle sprains, has previously been studied utilizing either questionnaires or ankle sprain simulators. However, a quantitative tool that safely creates an unexpected ankle sprain during gait has not been proposed. This study aimed to determine if a novel ankle sprain simulator differentiates between CLAI and healthy controls and compare findings to known measures of impaired function.
Methods:
Thirty-two feet were assigned to the CLAI group or the control group. Participants walked on a treadmill wearing boots designed to induce unexpected ankle inversion. To do so, the device was triggered randomly during swing to induce instability during loading response. Maximal inversion velocities (MIV) were measured immediately after initial contact. A Ratio MIV was determined by dividing the MIV of the simulated sprain by the average MIV of the 5 steps preceding the simulated sprain. Also, Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) and the Foot Ankle Ability Measurement (FAAM) questionnaires were collected.
Results:
Mean MIV in the CLAI and Control groups were 213.5 ± 54.7°/s and 177.0 ± 64.2°/s (p = 0.02), while mean Ratio MIV were 1.22 ± 0.13 and 1.08 ± 0.08 (p < 0.001), respectively. The area under the curve to predict CLAI was 0.83 (95% CI; [0.73; 0.93]) for Ratio MIV with a value greater than 1.15 showing 68% sensitivity and 93.8% specificity. Ratio MIV was moderately correlated with IdFAI (ρ = 0.50; p < 0.0001) and weakly correlated with impairments in activities of daily living (ρ = -0.45; p < 0.001) and sports (ρ = -0.43; p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Inversion velocities caused by the ankle sprain simulator differentiated CLAI from healthy controls. Ratio MIV was associated with measurements of functional CLAI, impairments in ADLs and sports.
