Isokinetic muscle performance after surgery of the lateral ligaments of the ankle

In this study, we assessed the isokinetic strength and power profile of 138 patients with a surgically treated lateral ligament injury of an ankle. In addition, the outcome predicting factors were analyzed. The measurements w ere done 6.2 +/- 0.8 years after the surgery using the Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer. The general strength status of the patients was good, the isok inetic testing showing no or only moderate (always less than or equal to 18 %) average strength deficits in the peak torque values of dorsiflexor and p lantar flexor muscles of the injured ankle. Of the outcome predicting varia bles, only the age of the patient in the group with surgery for chronic ank le instability correlated significantly with the isokinetic peak torque def icits: the older the subject, the greater the peak torque deficit in the in jured ankle (r(s) = - 0.388 with p = 0.015) in ankle dorsiflexion at the sp eed of 60 degrees/s. In conclusion, patients having surgery for ankle ligam ent insufficiency, either in acute or chronic phase of the injury, seem to recover well showing no remarkable deficiencies in the isokinetic ankle mus cle strengths several years after the repair.