Increased frequency of ankle sprain does not lead to an increase in ligament laxity

Abstract

Objective: Ankle sprains are the most common injury in the active population. With high reinjury rates and complaints of the ankle "giving way," it has been suggested that laxity of ankle ligaments increases with repeated sprains. The objective of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between ligament laxity and the number of ankle sprains.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Biomechanics laboratory.

Participants: A total of 203 Division I collegiate athletes (84 women; 119 men; age, 18.5 ± 1.1 years; height, 178.5 ± 10.8 cm; mass, 79.8 ± 18.7 kg) participated in the study.

Intervention: Each participant reported the number of previous sprains on each ankle. Ligament laxity was measured using an instrumented ankle arthrometer.

Main outcome measures: Measurements for anterior displacement (AD), inversion (IV), and eversion (EV) rotation of the ankle were obtained using an instrumented ankle arthrometer.

Results: There was no relationship between ligament laxity and the number of ankle sprains in either direction (AD, P = 0.86; IV, P = 0.64; EV, P = 0.81). In addition, comparing ligament laxity between previously sprained ankles and ankles that have never been sprained resulted in no differences in the direction of movement (AD, P = 0.98; IV, P = 0.96; EV, P = 0.67).

Conclusions: Despite anecdotal evidence suggesting repeated ankle sprains increase ligament laxity, this report involving a large data set and a reliable measurement analysis found no relationship between the two. The results of this study make it necessary to rethink the causes of ligament laxity. Therefore, further research is necessary to understand the causes of "giving way" of the ankle and their role in repeated ankle sprains.