Associations between ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and foot and ankle strength in young adults.
Paloma Guillén-Rogel, Cristina San Emeterio, Pedro J Marín
PMID 28878463WHAT IT FOUND
A larger ankle bend distance during a lunge was linked to greater ankle lift and big-toe flexor strength in 29 healthy young men, but not to ankle push-down strength.
Dominant and non-dominant sides were similar.
Key findings
01Ankle dorsiflexion strength showed a moderate relationship with weight-bearing ankle bend distance and with toe flexor strength.
02Ankle plantarflexion strength showed only a weak relationship with toe flexor strength and no significant relationship with ankle bend distance.
03Dominant and non-dominant sides did not differ significantly for any measured variable.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 29 healthy male students who were injury-free, so it does not show what happens in women, older adults, injured patients, or people with foot and ankle problems. It measured associations between range and strength at one time, so it cannot show that changing ankle bend causes changes in strength or vice versa. The authors state that extrapolation to different participant populations should be done with caution and call for a larger, more evenly age-distributed sample. The study did not measure injury, function, or treatment outcomes, so it cannot tell clinicians whether changing these measures improves patient symptoms.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these links as proof that restricted ankle bend causes weak ankle or toe strength. The study only measured associations in 29 healthy male students, so it cannot show cause or effect.