Males with chronic ankle instability exhibit sex-specific force sense deficits.

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether there are differences in sensorimotor function between sexes in individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Laboratory.

PARTICIPANTS

50 (26 males/24 females) individuals with CAI and 40 (17 males/23 females) healthy controls (HC).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ankle muscle strength and proprioception were assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. Static balance performance was assessed by a one-leg standing task, and dynamic balance performance was tested using the Y-Balance test.

RESULTS

Compared with healthy controls, both males and females with CAI exhibited worse proprioception and balance control, but no difference in muscle strength. A significant group and sex interaction effect was observed of force sense in the dorsiflexion direction (F = 5.14, p = 0.026, ηp2 = 0.057). Post-hoc analysis showed that, the absolute error of force sense in males was significantly larger than females in the CAI group (p < 0.001), while there was no difference in the HC (p = 0.536).

CONCLUSION

This finding indicated that among individuals with CAI, males are more likely to experience a greater impairment in the dorsiflexion direction of force sense than females. Future rehabilitation programs should consider targeted proprioceptive interventions for males to address this deficit effectively.