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PURPOSE: To examine thickness of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and if that thickness relates to physical activity levels one year after an ankle sprain. METHODS: Twenty college students (8 males and 12 females, age=21.2 ± 2.4yr., mass=80.9±21.6kg, ht=173.3±10.6cm) with an acute LAS and 20 healthy matched controls (8 males and 12 females, age=21.9± 2.8yr., mass=79.1±20.2kg, ht=172.5±9.8cm) participated in the study. ATFL thickness was measured with a LOGIQ Book (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) diagnostic ultrasound. The examiner orientated the probe to view the cross sectional view of the lateral malleolus and the lateral talar articular surface cartilage and the neck of the talus. Measurements of ATFL thickness were made using ImageJ software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD). Thickness of the ATFL was measured at the midpoint of the ligament between the attachments of the lateral malleolus and talus. The main outcome measures were the thickness of the ATFL (mm) at 3 days post LAS and 1 year post LAS, and physical activity levels as measured by the IPAQ and NASA physical activity scales. RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between ATFL thickness and both the IPAQ and NASA physical activity scales. As ligament thickness increased, "average time spent performing vigorous physical activity" significantly decreased (p=.04, r²=-.86) and "average time spent performing moderate physical activity" (p=.02, r²=-.84) one year after injury. Subjects with a LAS also had a significant relationship with time spent walking (p=.01, r²=-.92), and days per week where they pursued vigorous activity (p=.02, r²=-.81) or moderate activity (p=.04 r²=-.85) one year after their sprain. As ligament thickness increased, overall subjective physical activity scores significantly decreased. CONCLUSIONS: One year after a LAS subjects had a significant relationship with ATFL thickness and activity levels. The changes in ATFL morphology may lead to the decreased physical activity levels due to the feeling of the ankle being unstable. Future research needs to focus on early interventions to ensure proper ligament healing occurs to restore joint function after an ankle sprain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ankle sprains are the most common orthopedic pathology experienced during sport and physical activity and often result in chronic ankle instability (CAI). Understanding how to prevent CAI is difficult because of the costs and logistics associated with clinical trials aimed at preventing the heterogeneous symptoms associated with CAI. Thus, a need exists to develop an animal model that presents similar long-term consequences as CAI to assess preclinical data. Thus, the purpose was to determine whether surgically transecting the lateral ligaments of a mouse hind limb results in the development of CAI-like symptoms 12 months after injury. Methods: Thirty male mice (CBA/J) were randomly placed into a SHAM (control), CFL (calcaneofibular ligament; mild ankle sprain), or ATFL/CFL (anterior talofibular ligament/ CFL; severe) ankle sprain group and housed individually. Three days after surgically transecting the respective lateral ligaments, mice were given a solid surface running wheel and daily running wheel measurements were recorded. Outcome measures of balance and gait were obtained before and at 4, 48, 54, and 60 wk after injury. Results: The ATFL/CFL group had significantly more hind foot slips than the CFL and SHAM groups (P < 0.05). The CFL also had more hind foot slips relative to the SHAM group (P < 0.05). The ATFL/CFL group was significantly less physically active relative to the SHAM and CFL groups (P < 0.05). A cut score of 4.75 foot slips had a sensitivity of 0.68 and specificity of 1.00 and indicates that 70% (14/20) of mice with an ankle sprain had developed CAI. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that an acute ankle sprain in mice can result in the development of CAI-like symptoms 12 months after injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]