Plantar pressure in athletes with chronic ankle instability during single-leg landings at different heights.

Background: During landing, athletes with Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) often display abnormal ankle joint movements, and changes occur as the height increases. There is a lack of sufficient research on assessing foot pressure distribution during landing at different heights for athletes with CAI, which would help determine their injury risk. Methods: Twenty male athletes with CAI and twenty healthy controls were recruited in a 2 (group: CAI vs. healthy) × 2 (height: 30 cm-vs. 40 cm) mixed experimental design. A 2 × 2 mixed-design ANOVA was used to evaluate the foot pressure distribution characteristics during landing, measured using a 400 × 400 mm FreeMed baropodometric platform. Results: Interaction effects were detected in peak force: metatarsal head 3 (MH3) ( Conclusion: Compared with healthy individuals, athletes with CAI have increased peak forces, pressures and load percentage at the T2-5, MH3, MH4, MF_L and RF_L during landing. The load percentage in RF_L and vCOP of athletes with CAI increases as the height increases, reflecting impaired postural control and a higher risk of re-injury. This highlights the need for trainers to design specific training programs based on the distribution characteristics of foot pressure during landing exercises.