Test-retest reliability of ankle injury risk factors

Ligamentous instability, ankle muscle weakness, foot-ankle alignment, and generalized joint laxity may be predisposing factors for ankle ligament injuries. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of these risk factors before and after the season in healthy individuals and to determine if any significant differences developed during the athletic season (range, 12 to 16 weeks). Twenty-one healthy college-aged athletes were tested for generalized joint laxity, anatomic alignment of the foot and ankle, ligamentous stability, and isokinetic strength of the ankle muscles. This study showed that generalized joint laxity, ankle ligamentous stability, and ankle strength measurements demonstrated high correlation coefficients (r > 0.75). The high correlation coefficients suggested reliable measures. Some of the range of motion measurements had lower correlation coefficients, which suggested more variability in these measurements. After establishing the reliability in 24 of the 28 measurements with standardized methods, further work is underway to evaluate the role of these factors in inversion ankle sprains.