Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries that occur within netball and often occur during a jump landing or lateral motion.
Objective:To compare patterns of ankle and hip muscle activation during a lateral hop in subjects with or without functional ankle instability (FAI).
Method:Twenty-four subjects (12 subjects with FAI and 12 controls) performed a lateral hop task. Electromyography (EMG) activity of the gluteus medius (Gmed), gluteus maximus (Gmax), tibialis anterior (TA), and peroneal longus (PL), were measured 200-milliseconds immediately prior to and post impact during a lateral hop.
Results:
FAI Participants demonstrated a significant reduction in pre-impact PL activity during a lateral hop compared to control subjects (p<0.05). No significant differences were noted between the groups’ TA, Gmed and Gmax activity during pre-or post-impact periods.
Conclusions: The results suggest that subjects with FAI exhibit changes in muscle activity surrounding the ankle that could predispose to further injury.