Men, women have different risk factors for ankle injury

Injury prevention may require different training programs for men and women.

HERSHEY , Pa. — The risk factors for a first ankle injury are somewhat different for young men than for women, according to a study presented here at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2006 Annual Meeting.

“Some athletes have characteristics that make them more vulnerable to ankle trauma,” said lead investigator Bruce D. Beynnon, PhD, who conducted the research with colleagues at the University of Vermont in Burlington. “Our data showed that young men have an entirely different set of risk factors for first-time ankle injury than young women.”

Beynnon said the chances of developing a second ankle injury after the initial injury are high, but researchers are still uncertain about the risk factors that predispose individuals to the first ligament injury.

In their study, the researchers compared factors in more than 900 high school and collegiate athletes to analyze their ankle ligament injury risk factors. The researchers found that the women in the study had an increased risk for suffering an ankle injury when there was a strength imbalance in the muscles that control side-to-side ankle movement, according to an American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine press release.

The researchers also identified several “nonmodifiable risk factors,” including alignment of the muscles in the front of the legs with the knee; loose ankles, which suggest weak ligaments or structural problems; and equally dominant legs, Beynnon said.

Men who had undergone one or more prior leg surgeries, or those who demonstrated decreased dorsiflexion, were at increased risk of injury.

For more information:
Beynnon BD, Vacek PM, Abate JA, et al. NCAA Award Presentation: A prospective study of risk factors for first-time inversion ankle ligament trauma. Presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 2006 Annual Meeting. June 29-July 2, 2006, Hershey, Pa.