The Dorsiflexion Range of Motion Screen: A Validation Study

Abstract

Background Limited ankle dorsiflexion (DF) is associated with ankle sprains and other lower extremity injuries. Current ankle measurements can be laborious to perform in an athletic environment. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and discriminant validity of a novel closed-chain ankle DF ROM test, the standing ankle dorsiflexion screen (SADS). Study Design Reliability and validity study Methods Thirty-seven healthy subjects participated in the study. Two raters measured closed-chain ankle DF range of motion (ROM) using a modified lunge position with an electronic inclinometer. Four raters measured ankle DF using the SADS. Reliability was calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and kappa coefficients for the raters using an electronic inclinometer and the SADS scale, respectively. An independent t-test compared the SADS categories of “behind” and “beyond” to the modified lunge test ROM ( p <0.05). Results Excellent ICC values (0.95 [95% CI (0.92,0.97)]) and high kappa values were observed (0.61-0.81), with high percent agreement (86-94%). There was a significant difference in ankle DF ROM between the nominally scored “behind” and “beyond” categories, regardless of rater or trial analyzed (behind: 41.3° ± 4.7°; beyond: 51.8°± SD 6.1°, p <0.001). Conclusions The SADS was observed to have excellent interrater reliability and high discriminant validity. Furthermore, there was a distinct closed chain ankle DF ROM difference between the “behind” and “beyond” SADS nominal scores. Clinical Relevance The SADS can be used as a quick and efficient closed chain ankle DF ROM screen. Level of Evidence 2b

Ankle Joint Dorsiflexion Reference Values in Non-Injured Youth Federated Basketball Players: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The weight-bearing lunge is the most widely used test with more concrete and consistent values than goniometry [ 12 ]. Our values coincide with the results described by Gonzalo-Skok et al [ 39 ] in a similar study, especially among U14 basketball players, but these results are not comparable with other studies [ 20 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 40 , 41 , 42 ], since most of them measure dorsal ankle flexion in angles (degrees) ( Table 6 ).…”

“…A reduction in ankle joint dorsiflexion has been identified as a risk factor for sustaining several common lower-extremity injuries during physical activity [ 2 , 3 ], including lateral ankle sprain [ 3 , 4 ], plantar fasciopathy [ 5 , 6 ], medial tibial stress syndrome and knee anterior cruciate ligament injury [ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], iliotibial band syndrome [ 3 , 8 ], patellofemoral pain syndrome [ 3 , 7 , 8 ], and patellar tendinopathy [ 3 , 7 , 10 ]. Moreover, it is often identified as a point of emphasis during lower-extremity rehabilitation [ 3 , 11 ] especially in conditions related to ankle sprains [ 3 ] either as an injury risk factor or as a common sequela after injury [ 12 , 13 ]. Inadequate restoration of ankle dorsiflexion may limit functional activities [ 3 ] and increase the risk of developing recurrent ankle sprain [ 3 , 14 ].…”

“…Currently, there are several methods to measure ankle dorsiflexion described in the literature [ 19 ]: the distance from the toe to wall [ 23 ], the degrees of tibial inclination [ 24 ], or the conventional goniometry [ 24 ]. The last one has been reported to be highly unreliable and to have poor reproducibility [ 24 ] because it has been assessed in the open-chain position [ 12 , 25 ]. Therefore, techniques that involve weight bearing are increasing in relevance because they are more representative of lower-extremity function during activity [ 23 , 26 ].…”

A Needs Analysis and Training Considerations for Female Adolescent Basketball Players

“…Table 5 lists several field tests that can be used to identify individuals at a greater risk of injury. The chosen tests all demonstrate good to excellent intrarater and inter-rater reliability with adolescent female athletes except for the clinic-based algorithm, which has instead demonstrated promising validity compared with 3D movement analysis (49,59,61,74,127,143,146,152). However, it must be noted that although it is not practical to complete all the listed tests, strength and conditioning staff should strongly consider using at least one assessment from each category to quantify movement patterns, identify movement asymmetries, reduce the risk of injury, and enhance athletic performance.…”

Efecto de un programa de preparación física específica sobre la condición física en jugadores sub18 de baloncesto (Effect of a specific physical preparation program on physical fitness in U18 basketball players)

“…Por el contrario, no suelen ser lesiones graves, pero pueden provocar varias lesiones a lo largo de una misma temporada (Minghelli et al, 2022;Owoeye et al, 2020;Sekine et al, 2022). De la misma forma, un exiguo rango de movimiento, y concretamente, de dorsiflexión en la articulación de tobillo, se asocia con una mayor tendencia a sufrir lesiones en las articulaciones inferiores (Grieve et al, 2022), por lo que el entrenamiento de la dorsiflexión es de gran importancia en este deporte para reducir el número de lesiones en las extremidades inferiores (Plisky et al, 2021).…”