Ankle Muscular Activity during Landing in Volleyball Players with Functional Instability

INTRODUCTION The ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries in athletes, particularly in sports in which participants frequently jump and land on one foot like the volleyball. 90% of ankle injuries in volleyball occur during landing after a blocking maneuver. The most common complication following ankle sprains is functional ankle instability (FI) that has been defined as a tendency for the foot to give away after an ankle sprain with no evidence of ligament injuries [1]. The pathogenesis of FI is considered to be multifactorial, with mechanical, muscular, and sensorimotor factors playing a role [2]. The purpose of this study was to compare the muscle activation patterns of selected ankle muscles of volleyball athletes with and without FI performing a landing after the blocking maneuver. We believe that subjects with functional ankle instability present different patterns of muscular activation when compared with normal ones.