Visual Disruption and Neuromechanics During Landing-Cutting in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

• Published in: Journal of athletic training 2024-08, Vol.59 (8), p.822-829
• Main Authors: Lee, Hyunwook, Han, Seunguk, Hopkins, J Ty
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Ankle; Ankle Joint - physiopathology; Biomechanical Phenomena; Case-Control Studies; Control Groups; Electromyography; Eyeglasses; Female; Humans; Joint Instability - physiopathology; Kinematics; Lower Extremity - physiopathology; Male; Movement - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Outcome Measures; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1062-6050; 1938-162X; 1938-162X
• DOI: 10.4085/1062-6050-0379.23

Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) demonstrate altered movement patterns when their vision is disturbed during simple tasks, such as single-legged standing and walking. However, it remains unclear whether visual disruption by stroboscopic glasses alters movement patterns during landing-cutting movements, considered highly demanding sport maneuvers that mimic a typical athletic movement. To identify altered lower extremity kinematics and muscle activation when vision is disrupted by stroboscopic glasses during landing-cutting tasks in individuals with CAI. Case-control study. Laboratory. A total of 18 individuals with CAI (age = 22.3 ± 2.3 years, height = 1.75 ± 0.1 m, mass = 72.5 ± 9.8 kg) and 18 matched healthy controls (age = 21.7 ± 2.3 years, height = 1.75 ± 0.1 m, mass = 71.9 ± 10.3 kg). All participants performed 5 trials of a landing-cutting task with (SV) and without (NSV) stroboscopic glasses. Frontal- and sagittal-plane lower extremity kinematics and 6 lower extremity muscle activations during the stance phase of a landing-cutting task in the SV and NSV conditions. Individuals with CAI demonstrated more ankle-inversion angle from 18% to 22% and from 60% to 100% of the stance phase and more peroneus longus activation from initial contact to 18% of the stance phase under the SV condition than under the NSV condition. We observed no differences in knee- and hip-joint angles between the visual conditions for both groups. When wearing stroboscopic glasses, individuals with CAI showed altered movement patterns, including increased ankle-inversion angle and peroneus longus activation during the stance phase of a landing-cutting task. The results suggest that they may lack the ability to reweight sensory information to adapt their movement to visual disruption.