TY - GEN
T1 - A new dimension in the study of human functional joint instability
AU - Liu, Wen
AU - Jain, Tarang
AU - Wauneka, Clayton
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Functional joint instability is common after joint soft tissue injuries. We present in this report our pilot finding in a study of functional ankle instability. Although past studies have suggested multiple pathological factors for functional ankle instability, none of those factors has been confirmed in the past studies. More importantly, no known factor can provide an explanation for an ankle giving way phenomenon which is a key element in defining a functional ankle instability. In this pilot study, we tested five subjects with functional ankle instability using a dynamic ankle stretching device combined with nociceptive electrical stimulation. Three out of five subjects showed a drastic reaction in which they totally gave up their control of upright standing after their affected ankles were under the combined ankle stretch and nociceptive stimuli. Such drastic reaction was not observed in the same ankles under only the ankle stretch. There was no such drastic reaction in the unaffected ankle under either testing condition. This pilot finding indicates a possibility of a hyper-reactivity to unloading reaction in the ankles with functional ankle instability.
AB - Functional joint instability is common after joint soft tissue injuries. We present in this report our pilot finding in a study of functional ankle instability. Although past studies have suggested multiple pathological factors for functional ankle instability, none of those factors has been confirmed in the past studies. More importantly, no known factor can provide an explanation for an ankle giving way phenomenon which is a key element in defining a functional ankle instability. In this pilot study, we tested five subjects with functional ankle instability using a dynamic ankle stretching device combined with nociceptive electrical stimulation. Three out of five subjects showed a drastic reaction in which they totally gave up their control of upright standing after their affected ankles were under the combined ankle stretch and nociceptive stimuli. Such drastic reaction was not observed in the same ankles under only the ankle stretch. There was no such drastic reaction in the unaffected ankle under either testing condition. This pilot finding indicates a possibility of a hyper-reactivity to unloading reaction in the ankles with functional ankle instability.
KW - Ankle joint
KW - Central nervous system
KW - Functional instability
KW - Hyper-reactivity
KW - Unloading
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84872955487&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84872955487&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.249-250.1271
DO - 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.249-250.1271
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84872955487
SN - 9783037855577
T3 - Applied Mechanics and Materials
SP - 1271
EP - 1276
BT - Applied Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering III
T2 - 2012 3rd International Conference on Applied Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, ICAMME 2012
Y2 - 14 November 2012 through 15 November 2012
ER -