Ankle Dorsiflexion displacement is associated with hip and knee kinematics in females following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between ankle dorsiflexion (ankle-DF) displacement and knee and hip kinematics and kinetics during a jump-landing task in females following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Females (n = 23) with a history of unilateral ACLR (≥ 6-months post-ACLR) underwent a three-dimensional lower extremity biomechanical evaluation. Pearson Product Moment (r) correlations assessed associations between ankle-DF displacement and knee and hip kinematic and kinetic variables. On the involved-limb, individuals with lesser ankle-DF displacement demonstrated greater knee abduction displacement during the loading phase (r = -0.645, p = 0.001). On the uninvolved-limb, individuals with greater ankle-DF displacement demonstrated greater hip flexion displacement (r = 0.599, p = 0.003) and knee flexion displacement (r = -0.545, p = 0.007). There were no other significant associations between ankle-DF displacement and ankle, knee, or hip biomechanical variables on either limb (p > 0.05). Our findings demonstrate that reduced ankle-DF motion appears to share a different relationship between the involved- and uninvolved-limbs in females post-ACLR.