Dynamic balance status and ankle mobility in adolescent basketball players with a history of multiple lateral ankle sprains.

Abstract

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are prevalent among adolescent athletes and can lead to persistent sensorimotor impairment. Although altered postural control is a known consequence, the impact of recurrent LAS on time-resolved landing dynamics, while accounting for maturational and anthropometric confounding factors, remains unclear in adolescent athletes. We categorized 238 ankles from 156 adolescent basketball players into three LAS history groups: control, one-time, and multiple-time. Non-weight-bearing (non-WB) and weight-bearing (WB) ankle range of motion (RoM) were measured. The center of pressure (CoP) trajectory length during a single-legged landing (SLL) task was calculated across six time windows (20 ms to 5 s post-landing). Linear mixed-effects models accounted for within-participant dependence and were adjusted for covariates including age, height, body weight, and basketball experience. LAS history was not independently associated with CoP trajectory length in any time window. Non-WB dorsiflexion RoM was significantly and positively associated with the CoP trajectory length during the 200 ms to 1 s, 1 to 2 s, and 4 to 5 s intervals. The multiple-time group demonstrated significantly greater plantarflexion RoM than the control group. Time-resolved CoP trajectory length during SLL was more closely related to dorsiflexion RoM than to a history of LAS alone. The observed relationship between the non-WB dorsiflexion RoM and CoP trajectory length suggests that limited dorsiflexion mobility may constrain the magnitude of CoP modulation during post-landing stabilization. Assessing dorsiflexion mobility may help characterize inter-individual differences in dynamic balance behavior among adolescent basketball players. Basic Science; Biomechanics.