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

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 eli...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical medicine 2022-12, Vol.11 (24), p.7478
Main Authors: Zhang, Congda, Chen, Na, Wang, Jingsong, Zhang, Zhengzheng, Jiang, Chuan, Chen, Zhong, Fang, Jianhui, Peng, Juhua, Li, Weiping, Song, Bin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ankle
Badminton
Basketball
Body mass index
Clinical medicine
Cross-sectional studies
Demographics
Fencing
Fractures
Injuries
Questionnaires
Self report
Teams
Track & field
Weightlifting
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Summary: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. 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. 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). 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.
ISSN:2077-0383
2077-0383
DOI:10.3390/jcm11247478