Chronic Ankle Instability & Aging

Chronic ankle instability (CAI), defined as having at least one significant ankle sprain, feeling of instability, and lower self-reported function, often develops as a young-adult. Subsequently, current CAI literature largely focuses on characterizing functional impairments and self-reported limitations in young adults, with little attention on middle- and older-aged adults. This is problematic as lower extremity function is also important for mobility in the later stages of life. The proposed research study seeks to identify differences in disease and patient-oriented outcomes between young, middle- and older-aged individuals with and without CAI. We hypothesis individuals with CAI will experience an accelerated decline in disease- and patient-oriented outcomes compared to non-injured individuals across the lifespan. To test our central hypothesis we plan to examine static postural control, quantify spinal reflex excitability of the soleus and describe the self-reported limitations in patients with and without CAI across the lifespan. We anticipate CAI patients will have greater deficits in disease and patient-oriented outcomes compared to healthy individuals, with greater declines in CAI patients across the lifespan. Secondly, we suspect the decreased balance and greater self-reported limitations in CAI patients are the result of altered spinal reflex excitability. Lastly, the decreased balance will describe the self-reported limitations.