Characterizing Lower Extremity Movement Scores Before and After Fatigue in Collegiate Athletes With Chronic Ankle Instability

Abstract

Sensorimotor function is impaired in chronic ankle instability (CAI) patients. CAI patients have an increased sensitivity to fatigue relative to controls. Few investigations have quantified functional movement scores in CAI patients or the effect of fatigue on such scores. Therefore, we characterized functional movement scores before and after fatigue in 40 collegiate athletes with CAI. Three movement patterns (double-limb squat, double-limb squat with heel lift, and single-limb squat) were completed before and after fatigue and scored using Fusionetics®. All Fusionetics scores were higher (worse) after fatigue. The results demonstrate that functional movement scores were sensitive to fatigue.