Assessment of Ankle Joint Proprioception in Cricket Players

Background and Aims: Superior balance ability is necessary to achieve the highest competitive level and avoid lower limb injuries. Balance control improvement is one of the most important goals in sports and exercise. Better the balance, better is the performance. Proprioception plays an important role in balance control and ankle proprioception is arguably the most important. Cricket is an evolving sport and it the ankle-foot complex in the only part that comes in contact with the ground which further leads to ankle injuries. Ankle proprioception is altered by sport related injuries or fatigue all of which subsequently leads to altered balance mobility. Ankle injuries often leads to disruption of muscles and tendons with associated damage to inherent mechanoreceptors which detrimentally alters the quality of proprioceptive information required for balance control. This study consists of an assessment of ankle joint proprioception in cricket players using an active to active reproduction test. Methodology: An observational study was conducted among 40 cricket players. Ankle proprioception was assessed using an active to active reproduction test. The mean difference between both the positions were then calculated. Results: The result of this study showed a clinically significant difference in both ankle plantarflexion and ankle dorsiflexion. The results also showed that right sided movements were affected in subjects who are right sided dominant and the same was there for left sided dominant subjects. The mean errors in Right PF and Left PF was 4.15º and 1.75º respectively which signifies that Right PF is affected in cricket players. The mean errors in Right DF and Left DF was 2.825º and 2.025º respectively which signifies that Right DF is more affected than that of Left DF. Conclusion: The ankle proprioception was affected in majority of the individuals. A clinically significant increase is noted in Right PF, Right DF and Left DF. Right plantarflexion was affected more than that of left plantarflexion and right dorsiflexion was affected more than that of left dorsiflexion. Hence, right sided dominant people showed affection in right sided movements and those who were left sided dominant showed affection in left sided movements. These results thus signify that the players are at mild risk of having ankle injuries because ankle proprioception is associated with ankle injuries which then indirectly affects the performance of the player. Key words: Ankle proprioception, Cricket Players, Balance, Active to Active reproduction test.