Study Design Cross-sectional study.

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between open kinetic chain (OKC) ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (DROM) and the Weight Bearing Lunge Test (WBLT) in male colligate soccer players.

Background Ankle sprains are the leading cause of injuries in college soccer. Limited ankle DROM has been identified as a risk factor for ankle injuries. The WBLT is a clinical tool that has been proven to be a valid means of measuring ankle DROM. Relationships between ankle DROM and WBLT have been studied but there is limited evidence that examine male college soccer players.

Methods and Measures Thirty-three Division I male collegiate soccer players took part in PPEs as a part of their standard of care. All subjects performed 3 trials of the WBLT. As well, 2 clinicians measured 3 trials of OKC ankle DROM with a goniometer. The mean of the trials for each variable was used for analysis. Pearson’s product moment correlations were calculated between the WBLT and ankle DROM.

Results There was a moderate correlation between the WBLT (9.6±2.7 cm) and ankle DROM (9.1±4.1°, r=0.52, r²=0.27, p<0.002) on the dominant limb. Weak correlations were found between WBLT (9.2±2.3) and ankle DROM (9.4±3.2°, r=0.23, r²=0.05, p=0.20) on the non-dominate limb. Mild correlations were found between the WBLT (9.4±2.5 cm) and ankle DROM (9.3±3.7°, r=0.40, r²=0.16, p<0.001) for combined data. No significant difference was found between dominant and non-dominant limb values for either the WBLT (p=2.53) or ankle DROM (p=0.10).

Conclusions Ankle DROM explained approximately 27% of the variance in the WBLT on the dominant limb, 5% of the variance in the non-dominant limb and 16% of the variance for combined data. Our findings support the importance of understanding normal values and asymmetries that occur in specific populations.