Comparison of Ankle Range of Motion and Functional Performance According to Chronic Ankle Instability in Physically Active Adult Females

Objectives

This study aimed to compare ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), static and dynamic balance, agility, and generalized joint hypermobility according to the presence of chronic ankle instability (CAI) in physically active adult females.

Methods

Thirty physically active female college students were classified into a CAI group (n = 15) and a non-CAI group (n = 15) based on the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT). Functional ankle instability was additionally assessed using the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI). Ankle dorsiflexion ROM, static balance, dynamic balance, agility, and generalized joint hypermobility were evaluated using the Knee-to-Wall Test (KWT), Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), Y-Balance Test (YBT), Shark Skill Test (SST), and Beighton Scoring System (BSS), respectively. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare group differences, and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

The CAI group showed significantly lower CAIT scores and significantly higher IdFAI scores than the non-CAI group (p < 0.001), indicating greater self-reported ankle instability. However, no significant betweengroup differences were observed in KWT (left: p = 0.114; right: p = 0.077), BESS (p = 0.685), YBT composite score (left: p = 0.841; right: p = 0.385), SST (left: p = 0.494; right: p = 0.172), or BSS outcomes (p = 0.709).

Conclusions

Physically active adult females with CAI reported greater self-reported ankle instability, but their performance-based functional assessment outcomes did not differ significantly from those of the non-CAI group. These findings suggest that self-reported ankle instability and performance-based functional assessment outcomes should be evaluated together when assessing CAI in physically active adult females.