Determining the prevalence of ankle instability in adolescent athletes

ABSTRACT DETERMINING THE PREVALENCE OF ANKLE INSTABILITY IN ADOLESCENT ATHLETES This study aimed to determine the prevalence of ankle instability in adolescent athletes. A total of 144 students, 73 male and 71 female, with a mean age of 15.66±1.22 years, participated in the study. Participants' demographic information, sports history, ankle instability status, activity level, kinesiophobia, foot posture, and balance were evaluated. The Functional Ankle Instability Identification Test (FAIT) was used for ankle instability assessment, the Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale for kinesiophobia, the Tegner Activity Scale for activity level, the Single-Leg Stand Test and Single-Leg Hop Test for balance assessment, and the Navicular Drop and Slip test for foot pronation. The study findings revealed that the prevalence of chronic ankle instability (CAI) was significant in adolescent athletes (p<0.05). Additionally, variables such as foot posture, type of sport, gender, and kinesiophobia (p=0.007) were found to be significantly associated with CAI. The findings of this study demonstrate the remarkable prevalence of chronic ankle instability in adolescent athletes. The significant relationships between CAI and gender, type of sport, foot posture, and kinesiophobia, as well as the role of biopsychosocial factors in the development of this condition, suggest that these results offer significant contributions to the literature regarding the development of early screening and preventive rehabilitation programs for young athletes. Keywords: Ankle instability; Adolescent athletes; Chronic ankle instability; Kinesiophobia; Balance.