Date of Award

2026-05-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Kinesiology

Advisor(s)

Jaeho Jang

Abstract

Background: Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are common musculoskeletal injuries and may progress to chronic ankle instability (CAI), which is characterized by recurrent sprains, perceived "giving way," and altered ankle mechanics. Dynamic joint stiffness (DJS) quantifies a joint's resistance to angular displacement under external loading and may provide insight into ankle stability during dynamic tasks. Although prior CAI studies have examined DJS during walking or jumping, limited evidence exists during jogging. This study examined phase-specific ankle DJS and ankle work variables during jogging in individuals with and without CAI. Methods: Ninety participants were included (40 CAI, 50 uninjured controls). All participants completed a treadmill-based gait analysis session using motion capture. Three-dimensional kinematic data and ground-reaction force data were collected while participants jogged for one minute at two speeds: a self-selected jogging speed and a standardized speed. Ankle joint angles, sagittal-plane ankle moments, phase-specific DJS, ankle work variables, and step-to-step variability measures were calculated using MATLAB. Results: No significant group differences were observed in mean DJS, work absorbed, work produced, or net work across either speed. However, at the self-selected speed, the CAI group demonstrated greater ERP slope variability than controls (0.0257 ± 0.0180 vs. 0.0188 ± 0.0091; p = .033). At the standardized speed, the CAI group demonstrated a higher work ratio than controls (0.471 ± 0.280 vs. 0.357 ± 0.193; p = .037). Conclusion: Individuals with CAI may demonstrate reduced consistency in early-stance ankle stiffness and altered ankle work balance during jogging

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

29 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

David Saltiel Nava

Download

Share

COinS