Lateral ankle sprain is one of the most common injury in sport, and 40% of patients would have persistent symptoms and develop into chronic ankle instability (CAI). Sensorimotor deficit was thought to be a reason for the symptoms of joint instability, and functional changes of central nervous system had been found in CAI patients according to previous electroencephalogram studies.
In this study, we aimed to use the Brian MRI data from UK biobank to investigate the potential structural and functional changes of central nervous system caused by ankle joint instability. T1 structural, diffusion and resting-state functional MRI would be evaluated, and the comparison would be performed between healthy controls, patients with ankle instability alone and patients with both ankle instability and recurrent sprains.
This research would explore the mechanism of central nervous system adaptation in ankle instability and promote the development of more targeted balance rehabilitation projects for CAI patients.