Lumbopelvic Stability and Trunk Muscle Contractility of Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability.
Ryan S McCann, Kelly Johnson, Ashley M B Suttmiller
PMID 34123527WHAT IT FOUND
Copers had greater transversus abdominis contractility than people with chronic ankle instability and healthy controls.
No difference was found between the instability group and controls. Static trunk endurance tests did not separate groups.
Key findings
01Copers had significantly greater transversus abdominis contractility than individuals with chronic ankle instability (p < 0.01, d = 2.65) and controls (p = 0.03, d = 1.05), while the chronic ankle instability group did not differ significantly from controls (p = 0.12, d = 0.92).
02No significant head-to-head group differences were found for the unilateral hip bridge test, and lumbar multifidus contractility, Biering-Sorensen, side plank, and trunk flexion endurance tests did not show significant overall group differences.
03Individuals with chronic ankle instability had significantly lower Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Activity of Daily Living scores than copers (p = 0.02) and controls (p = 0.01), and lower Sport scores than copers (p = 0.04) and controls (p < 0.01).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 30 participants were studied, so the findings may not be stable. The study was retrospective, so it cannot show whether transversus abdominis differences came before or after chronic ankle instability. Examiner blinding was not used, which could have influenced observations during clinical tests. Participants had to be physically active, but variations in exercise mode, intensity, frequency, and duration were not accounted for. People with low back pain in the previous six months were excluded, so the findings may not apply to patients who have both ankle instability and back pain. The stability tests were static endurance measures and may not have sufficiently challenged the sensorimotor system to detect differences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that transversus abdominis training prevents or treats chronic ankle instability. This was a case-control study, no intervention was tested, and no difference was found between the chronic ankle instability group and healthy controls on that measure.