DOI: 10.12307/2025.739
Increasing foot toe-out angle reduces strain on the anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament during drop-landing with ankle inversion
Zhu Xiaoxue
Zhang Teng
Song Qingqing
Luo Xin
Zhang Hengshuo
Wang Dan
Qiu Jihong
Wei Feng
Song Qipeng
Abstract：BACKGROUND:Ankle inversion injuries frequently occur during landing,injuring the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments.Previous studies usually used indirect indicators,such as inversion angle,as an injury risk indicator,but epidemiological support is lacking.
OBJECTIVE:To calculate anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligament strains using a three-dimensional multi-body foot model during a drop-landing and to investigate whether increasing the foot toe-out angle for landing would reduce the risk of inversion sprains.
METHODS:Thirty-five participants with high sports demands[15 males and 20 females,age:(21.0±0.9)years,height:(176.2±8.8)cm,body mass:(71.6±12.8)kg]were recruited to perform a drop-landing test using a trapdoor device to simulate ankle inversion sprains.Two landing conditions were tested,i.e.,natural landing and toe-out landing.Kinematic data were collected using a 12-camera motion analysis system,the strains of the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments were calculated using a three-dimensional rigid-body foot model.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:From natural landing to toe-out landing conditions,the anterior talofibular ligament strain decreased[natural landing=(3.57±1.92)％,toe-out landing=(0.36±1.18)％,P＜0.001,Cohen's d=2.01),as was the calcaneofibular ligament strain[natural landing=(1.38±1.80)％,toe-out landing=(0.28±2.29)％,P=0.003,Cohen's d=0.81).It could be concluded that increasing foot toe-out angle reduces anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligament strains during drop-landing with ankle inversion,thereby reducing the potential of ankle inversion sprains.
Keywords：ankle injuryankle inversion sprainligament injuryligament tearanterior talofibular ligamentcalcaneofibular ligamentfoot modelfinite element analysis
Publication Date：2025-08-21
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 5109-5115 )