Author(s): ALTUN, A., DIXON, S., RICE, H., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER, Country: UNITED KINGDOM, Abstract-ID: 1365

INTRODUCTION:
There is a need for a comprehensive investigation of the specific neuromuscular control dysfunctions linked to chronic ankle instability (CAI), particularly of the peroneal muscles (1).
METHODS:
This systematic review with meta-analysis synthesised the findings related to neuromuscular characteristics of the peroneal musculature, including corticospinal excitability, strength, force sense, and electromyographic measures, in individuals aged 18-45 with CAI and compared them to their healthy counterparts (2,3). Relevant papers were retrieved from electronic databases including EBSCOhost, Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus and Cochrane Library as well as Grey literature sources. Two reviewers assessed the eligibility and methodological quality of the included studies (4,5), and the random effects model and the standard mean difference with a 95% confidence interval were used to obtain pooled estimates of the overall effect size.
RESULTS:
The systematic review encompassed 42 studies out of 13,670 retrieved publications. Of these, 25 were eligible for meta-analysis. The meta-analyses revealed significantly reduced evertor force accuracy at 10% (d = 0.50 [0.06, 0.94], p = 0.03; I2 = 0%, p = 0.50) and 20% of MVIC (d = 1.14 [0.64, 1.64], p < 0.00001; I2 = 0%, p = 0.57), and decreased evertor force steadiness (d = 0.43 [-0.01, 0.87], p = 0.05; I2 = 0%, p = 0.91) at 10% of MVIC in individuals with CAI compared to the control group. The pooled findings also demonstrated significantly longer peroneus longus latency (d = 1.69 [0.92, 2.46], p < 0.0001; I2 = 30%, p = 0.23) in the CAI group than the control group during single leg landing inversion perturbation test under unexpected conditions.
CONCLUSION:
Individuals with CAI exhibited distinct deficiencies in evertor force accuracy, steadiness, and peroneus longus latency during landing tasks, suggesting a potential association between neuromuscular dysfunction in the peroneal muscles and the underlying mechanisms of CAI pathogenesis. This underscores the importance of specifically targeting and addressing peroneal neuromuscular deficits in the rehabilitation of individuals with CAI.

REFERENCES:
1) Hertel and Corbett, J Athl Train, 2019
2) Page et al., Inter J Surgery, 2021
3) Higgins et al., Coch Hand for SRs Interv, 2019
4) Downs and Black, J Epidem & Comm Health, 1998
5) Moisan et al., Gait & posture, 2017