Deficits in reaction time due to increased motor time of peroneus longus in people with chronic ankle instability

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neuromuscular adaptations at the site of injury or neural adaptation remote to the injury are affected in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Electromyography data were collected from the peroneus longus (PL) and tibialis anterior during an ankle joint reaction time task in 12 participants with unilateral CAI and 12 healthy control participants. Following an auditory cue, time to onset of muscle activity (pre-motor time) and time from onset of muscle activity to movement (motor time) were measured during rapid ankle eversion and dorsiflexion. Reaction time for ankle eversion on the affected side was significantly slower in the CAI group than the control group, due to significantly slower motor time for the PL. Changes in motor time for the affected PL in participants with CAI may be attributed to a combination of factors associated with local tissue changes.