Right to left differences in the ankle joint complex range of motion.

Rehabilitation of the ankle joint complex after injury is often considered complete when the injured ankle has the same range of motion and strength as the uninjured contralateral limb even though this symmetry has never been quantified. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether there were differences in the ankle joint complex range of motion between right and left legs. Total right and left ankle joint complex range of motion was measured on 18 subjects using a fixture allowing six degrees of freedom. A four-camera video system was used to record all range of motion movements. The results indicated that total dorsiflexion-plantarflexion, eversion-inversion, and abduction-adduction ranges of motion were not significantly different between right and left legs. However, separate abduction and adduction differences occurred, with the right foot tending to abduct more than the left, while the left foot tended to adduct more than the right. These differences in the abduction and adduction range of motion may be inherent in the measuring device. As a result of this study, it appears that the contralateral ankle joint complex can be used as a measure for establishing restoration of total range of motion of the ankle joint complex following injury.