Assessment of the contraction speed of the dorsal and plantar flexor muscles of the foot in young women after inversion ankle sprain, against the background of the results of the control group

Abstract

Background: The complex structure of the ankle joint makes it particularly vulnerable to injuries, among which the most common is an inversion sprain of the ankle joint, posing a significant clinical problem. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ankle sprain on the speed capabilities of the plantar flexor and dorsal flexor muscles of the feet in a group of women.Methods: The study involved 42 young women. The experimental group consisted of 21 women who had suffered an inversion sprain of the ankle joint, while the control group comprised 21 women without an injury to the ankle joint. Participants were assessed for the contraction speed of the plantar and dorsal flexor muscles of the foot, and the results were presented in the form of Maximum Gradient of Force Development (MGFD) values.Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in MGFD values for the dorsal flexors of the dominant limb in the control group compared with the corresponding index for the affected and unaffected limb in the experimental group (p<0.05).Conclusions: A significantly higher MGFD value was noted in the control group compared to the experimental group for the dorsal flexor muscles of the foot.