Prolonged peroneal reaction time in ankle instability.

The peroneal reflex time to sudden ankle inversion and the postural control of 15 athletes with functionally instable ankles were compared with 15 stable controls. A trapdoor produced sudden ankle inversion. Surface electrodes recorded electromyographic activity of the peroneal muscles. Postural sway was expressed by a transverse sway value obtained during single limb stance on a force plate. Increased postural sway was found in subjects with functional instability (p less than 0.01). This is in accordance with previous studies. Functionally instable subjects also displayed an increased peroneal reaction time (p less than 0.01) supporting the theory that functional instability is induced by a proprioceptive reflex defect. Nine of the 15 instable subjects were unilaterally instable and showed lower peroneal reaction time and postural sway values for the stable ankle, but the difference was not significant. There was a high degree of correlation between postural sway and peroneal reaction time (Spearman's rho = .92). In ten functionally instable athletes tested with and without ankle taping, it could not be verified that a reflex enhancing effect of taping occurs through stimulation of cutaneous afferents.