Do Functional-Performance Tests Detect Impairment in Subjects with Ankle Instability?

<jats:sec sec-type="objective"><jats:title>Objective:</jats:title><jats:p>To determine whether the triple-crossover hop and timed shuttle run are able to discriminate between injured and uninjured limbs in subjects with functional ankle instability.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="design and setting"><jats:title>Design and Setting:</jats:title><jats:p>A comparative study involving the assessment of functional performance, conducted in a university gymnasium.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="participants"><jats:title>Participants:</jats:title><jats:p>A volunteer sample of 16 university-age subjects with unilateral functional ankle instability.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="outcome measures"><jats:title>Outcome Measures:</jats:title><jats:p>The triple-crossover hop for distance and timed shuttle run measured functional performance, with the uninjured limb acting as a control. Subjects also rated their ankle symptoms using a self-report questionnaire.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="results"><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p>The triple-crossover hop and shuttle run did not detect functional deficit despite subjects’ self-report scores indicating functional impairment.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec sec-type="conclusions"><jats:title>Conclusions:</jats:title><jats:p>Results of the triple-crossover hop and shuttle run used in the clinic should be interpreted with caution, because they will not necessarily identify functional impairment.</jats:p></jats:sec>