Effects of wearing ankle weight on knee joint repositioning sense in the elderly

[Purpose] To investigate the effects of different ankle weights on knee joint repositioning sense in elderly individuals. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-one subjects were divided for assessment as follows: young (20-30 years, n=10) and elderly (60-70 years, n=11). Knee joint repositioning error was measured by asking the subjects to reposition the target angle of their knee joints while wearing different ankle weights (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%) in an open kinetic chain. The Hawk Digital System (60 Hz; Motion Analysis, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) was used to measure knee joint repositioning error. Differences in knee joint repositioning error between the young and elderly groups according to ankle weight load were examined by using two-way mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance. [Results] The knee joint repositioning error was lower with than without ankle weights in both groups. The error value was lowest with the 1.0% weight, though not significantly. Knee joint repositioning error was significantly higher in the elderly under all the ankle weight conditions. [Conclusion] Knee joint repositioning sense can be improved in elderly individuals by wearing proper ankle weights. However, weights that are too heavy might disturb knee joint positioning sense.