Impact of Chronic Ankle Instability on Jumping and Agility in Athletes

Plain-language summary

This study investigated how chronic ankle instability (CAI) affects functional performance in athletes compared with healthy controls. CAI is a condition that develops after repeated ankle sprains, leading to ongoing "giving way" episodes, pain, and reduced stability. A total of 32 athletes participated: 16 with CAI and 16 healthy, age- and sport-matched controls. Participants performed a series of sport-specific functional performance tests, including single-leg hop tests, triple crossover hop, lateral hop, 6-meter timed hop, side jump, countermovement jump (CMJ), the 5-10-5 agility test, and the acceleration-deceleration-acceleration (ADA) test. The Deepsport AI program was used for precise measurement of jumping and agility parameters. Results showed that athletes with CAI had significantly lower jump height and power, reduced hop distances, and slower times in agility and hopping tests compared to controls. These findings suggest that CAI negatively impacts performance in explosive and multidirectional movements, which are essential in sports such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer. No strong correlation was found between CAIT (Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool) scores and objective performance outcomes, suggesting that subjective reports alone may not fully capture functional deficits. This study highlights the importance of using both subjective questionnaires and objective tests to evaluate ankle instability in athletes. It also supports the need for rehabilitation programs that include not only balance and proprioception training but also specific exercises to improve jumping, agility, and multidirectional performance.

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