The Prevalence and Characteristics of Chronic Ankle Instability in Elite Athletes of Different Sports: A Cross-Sectional Study

Overview

Journal J Clin Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2022 Dec 23

PMID 36556094

Authors

Congda Zhang

Na Chen

Jingsong Wang

Zhengzheng Zhang

Chuan Jiang

Zhong Chen

Jianhui Fang

Juhua Peng

Weiping Li

Bin Song

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries in athletic populations. Misdiagnosed and untreated ankle sprains will cause chronic ankle instability (CAI), which can significantly affect the performance of athletes. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of CAI in elite athletes of different sports.

Method: This cross-sectional study included 198 elite athletes from Guangdong provincial sports teams. All participants answered a questionnaire about ankle sprains and ankle instability. The severity of their ankle instability was evaluated by the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT). Participants further underwent clinical examinations from sports medicine doctors to determine the presence and characteristics of ankle instability. The datasets were analyzed to determine the differences in prevalence between age, gender, sports teams, and sports categories.

Results: In 198 athletes, 39.4% (n = 78) had bilateral CAI while 25.3% (n = 50) had unilateral CAI. Female athletes had a higher prevalence of CAI than male athletes in the study ( = 0.01). Prevalence showed differences between sports categories, and were significantly higher in acrobatic athletes than non-contact athletes ( = 0.03).

Conclusions: CAI was highly prevalent among elite athletes in this study, with female athletes and athletes in acrobatic sports being associated with a higher risk of developing CAI in their professional careers. Therefore, extra precautions need to be taken into account when applying ankle protections for these athletes.

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