A Comparison of Feed-Forward Activity of Selected Ankle Muscles between Active Collegiate Girls at the Risk of Ankle Sprain and Healthy Girls

The high incidence of ankle sprain, early resignation from sport and related disabilities have attracted the attention of researchers to identify and control those factors influencing the risk of this injury. The aim of this study wasto compare feed-forward activity of selected muscles of the ankle between collegiate active girls at the risk of ankle sprain and healthy girls.For this purpose, 32 active female students of physical education without a history of ankle sprain were divided into two groups (each group 16 subjects) including group at risk of ankle sprain (with less balance) and healthy group purposively and based on dynamic balance test scores (Y test). The feed-forward activity of muscles was evaluated by electromyography during jump-drop landing. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) at P≤0.05. A lower feed-forward activity of peroneus longus and soleus muscles was observed in the group of at risk of ankle sprain (lower balance) when compared with the control group (P˂0.05). Probably, lower activity of these muscles in subjects with less balance could endanger the stability of the ankle and put them at risk of ankle sprain.