Altered Vertical Ground Reaction Force Components While Walking in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability
in International Journal of Athletic Therapy and TrainingAberrant loading is a mechanism by which individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) may negatively impact cartilage health and therefore long-term health outcomes. We aimed to quantify walking vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) component differences between those with and without CAI. Participants (n = 36) walked barefoot overground at a self-selected comfortable pace. Normalized peak vGRF, time to peak vGRF, and normalized loading rate were calculated. Higher normalized loading rates (CAI: 5.69 ± 0.62 N/BW/s; controls: 5.30 ± 0.44 N/BW/s, p = .034) and less time to peak vGRF (CAI: 1.48 ± 0.18 s; controls: 1.62 ± 0.16 s, p = .018) were observed in those with CAI. In conclusion, those with CAI demonstrate a higher normalized loading rate and less time to peak vGRF compared to controls.
Wikstrom is an assistant professor and the Katherine Smith Gunter Fellow in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, and is with the MOTION Science Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Song and Migel are doctoral students with the Human Movement Science curriculum and the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, and are with the MOTION Science Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Hass is a professor with the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and the associate provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
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