Abstract
Context: The weight-bearing lunge test is an effective method in determining the range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion. Despite the lack of research for this test it does have good inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify baseline data for athletes and observe the relationship between ankle dorsiflexion measurements and non-contact lower extremity injuries. Ankle dorsiflexion can be defined as the degree as to which the dorsal portion of the foot can be brought closer to the tibia. A lack of ankle dorsiflexion can cause varied biomechanics and loading patterns which can lead to overcompensation resulting in possible injury. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion on the presence of non-contact lower extremity injuries. We hypothesized that those who have a decreased ankle dorsiflexion ROM are at a greater risk of experiencing a non-contact lower extremity injury. Design: Prospective Cohort Study. Setting: Athletic Training Clinic at a mid-west NAIA institution. Patients or Other Participants: We tested a total of 315 athletes, college-aged students (122 females and 194 males; aged range = 17-23). Methods: Prior to the competitive sports season (fall 2019) ankle dorsiflexion ROM was recorded using the weight-bearing lunge test on 315 healthy college athletes. Participants measured for this study participated in football (n=117), men’s soccer (n=31), women’s soccer (n=28), women’s volleyball (n=26), co-ed cross country (n=36), co-ed cheerleading (n=20), dance team (n=7), women’s basketball (n=21), and wrestling (n=26). The Clinometer smart phone app was used to measure ankle dorsiflexion during the test. The smartphone was placed at 5 cm below the tibial tuberosity as the participant performed the lunge. Participants performed the weight-bearing lunge test three times on each leg and the average angle of the three trials was used for the data analysis. Athletes who had experienced a lower extremity injury in the previous six months were excluded from the study. The weight-bearing lunge test has been shown to have good intra-rater reliability (ICC =.712-.973; p=.036-Main Outcome Measures: Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion using the weight-bearing lunge test and non-contact lower extremity injuries. Results: Results were calculated using T-Tests using IBM SPSS software. There was a total of 38 injured and 237 uninjured athletes. There was no statistically significant (p = .656 ) in average ankle dorsiflexion between participants that were recorded as injured (42.30°) vs. Uninjured (46.69°). The correlation for asymmetry between the ankle dorsiflexion range of motion on the right leg vs. left leg between the injured (3.12°) vs. uninjured (9.48°) participants was also not statistically significant (p = .497) Conclusion: This study uses the weight-bearing lunge test to measure ankle dorsiflexion in the collegiate athletic population to find normative data. This normative data was used to determine if restricted ankle dorsiflexion caused an increased risk of lower extremity injuries. Our data showed no significant correlation between restricted ankle dorsiflexion and risk of injury to the lower extremities. There was also a lack of significance comparing asymmetry between the left and right leg in both injured and uninjured groups. Further research is needed to determine if restricted ankle dorsiflexion, measured with the weight-bearing lunge test, does or does not cause an increased risk of lower extremity injuries in the athletic population.
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The Effect of Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion on Lower Extremity Injuries
Context: The weight-bearing lunge test is an effective method in determining the range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion. Despite the lack of research for this test it does have good inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify baseline data for athletes and observe the relationship between ankle dorsiflexion measurements and non-contact lower extremity injuries. Ankle dorsiflexion can be defined as the degree as to which the dorsal portion of the foot can be brought closer to the tibia. A lack of ankle dorsiflexion can cause varied biomechanics and loading patterns which can lead to overcompensation resulting in possible injury. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of ankle dorsiflexion range of motion on the presence of non-contact lower extremity injuries. We hypothesized that those who have a decreased ankle dorsiflexion ROM are at a greater risk of experiencing a non-contact lower extremity injury. Design: Prospective Cohort Study. Setting: Athletic Training Clinic at a mid-west NAIA institution. Patients or Other Participants: We tested a total of 315 athletes, college-aged students (122 females and 194 males; aged range = 17-23). Methods: Prior to the competitive sports season (fall 2019) ankle dorsiflexion ROM was recorded using the weight-bearing lunge test on 315 healthy college athletes. Participants measured for this study participated in football (n=117), men’s soccer (n=31), women’s soccer (n=28), women’s volleyball (n=26), co-ed cross country (n=36), co-ed cheerleading (n=20), dance team (n=7), women’s basketball (n=21), and wrestling (n=26). The Clinometer smart phone app was used to measure ankle dorsiflexion during the test. The smartphone was placed at 5 cm below the tibial tuberosity as the participant performed the lunge. Participants performed the weight-bearing lunge test three times on each leg and the average angle of the three trials was used for the data analysis. Athletes who had experienced a lower extremity injury in the previous six months were excluded from the study. The weight-bearing lunge test has been shown to have good intra-rater reliability (ICC =.712-.973; p=.036-Main Outcome Measures: Ankle dorsiflexion range of motion using the weight-bearing lunge test and non-contact lower extremity injuries. Results: Results were calculated using T-Tests using IBM SPSS software. There was a total of 38 injured and 237 uninjured athletes. There was no statistically significant (p = .656 ) in average ankle dorsiflexion between participants that were recorded as injured (42.30°) vs. Uninjured (46.69°). The correlation for asymmetry between the ankle dorsiflexion range of motion on the right leg vs. left leg between the injured (3.12°) vs. uninjured (9.48°) participants was also not statistically significant (p = .497) Conclusion: This study uses the weight-bearing lunge test to measure ankle dorsiflexion in the collegiate athletic population to find normative data. This normative data was used to determine if restricted ankle dorsiflexion caused an increased risk of lower extremity injuries. Our data showed no significant correlation between restricted ankle dorsiflexion and risk of injury to the lower extremities. There was also a lack of significance comparing asymmetry between the left and right leg in both injured and uninjured groups. Further research is needed to determine if restricted ankle dorsiflexion, measured with the weight-bearing lunge test, does or does not cause an increased risk of lower extremity injuries in the athletic population.