Prevalence and associated factors of chronic ankle instability among athletes in the Sri Lanka Army Sports Development Village
W. K. P. S. Bandara, V. M. Pathiraja · Sri Lanka Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences · 2026
Background: &
Aim: Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) is a common complication following lateral ankle sprains, causing persistent symptoms, functional limitations, and reduced athletic performance. Research on CAI among Sri Lankan athletes remains limited. This study aimed to determine CAI prevalence among Sri Lanka Army Sports Development Village (ASDV) athletes, identify associated intrinsic, extrinsic, and functional factors, and compare CAI prevalence across sport categories by contact type, playing environment, participation mode, and combat classification.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 344 from 389 ASDV athletes. Data collection included an interviewer-administered questionnaire, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM)-Sports subscale, and musculoskeletal assessments covering pain (Visual Analogue Scale), ankle range of motion (ROM-goniometer), muscle power (manual muscle testing), proprioception (joint position sense error), static balance (Balance Error Scoring System), and dynamic balance (Y-Balance). CAI was identified using the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) questionnaire, with a cut-off score of ≥11. Categorical variables were analysed using chi-square tests, and continuous variables by Mann-Whitney U tests, logistic regression to identify independent predictors of CAI, with
Significance: set at p<0.05.
Results: CAI prevalence was 24.4% (84/344). It was more common in contact and team sports, while athletes in both team and individual sports showed lower prevalence. No significant differences were found across playing environments or combat classifications. Previous ankle sprain was strongly associated with CAI. CAI-positive athletes demonstrated higher pain levels, lower FAAM-Sports scores, reduced ankle AROM, greater proprioceptive error, increased balance errors, and greater Y-Balance anterior reach asymmetry.
Conclusions: & Recommendations: Approximately one in four Army athletes had CAI. Key associated factors included contact and team sports, prior sprain history, and significant functional deficits such as higher pain, impaired proprioception, poor static and dynamic balance. These
Findings: highlight urgent need for routine CAI screening and targeted sensorimotor rehabilitation.