Kinesthetic Awareness in Subjects with Multiple Ankle Sprains

The purposes of this study were 1) to determine whether decreased kinesthetic awareness occurs in individuals with recurrent ankle sprains and 2) to determine whether the one-legged standing balance test can be used to differentiate between ankle instability in injured and uninjured ankles. Thirty athletes between 18 and 24 years of age with multiple sprains of one ankle and no reported sprains of the other ankle were tested to compare their ability to detect passive plantar flexion and standing balance in each ankle. Luce's choice theory was used to analyze subjects' responses. Subjects had significantly greater difficulty detecting passive motion in the ankle with sprains as compared with the uninjured ankle. Subjects also performed a one-legged standing balance test on both the injured and uninjured legs. In 20 subjects, either the subject or observer reported balance deficits on the injured side as compared with the uninjured side. The results of this study demonstrate the need for clinicians to evaluate kinesthetic deficits and to design exercise programs to improve kinesthetic awareness and decrease ankle instability in individuals with multiple ankle sprains.