Ankles provide a rare opportunity to recreate a seminal medical
study in the comfort of your own home. Back in the mid-1960s, a
physician, wondering why, after one ankle sprain, his patients
so often suffered another, asked the affected patients to stand
on their injured leg (after it was no longer sore). Almost
invariably, they wobbled badly, flailing out with their arms and
having to put their foot down much sooner than people who’d
never sprained an ankle. With this simple experiment, the doctor
made a critical, if in retrospect, seemingly self-evident
discovery. People with bad ankles have bad balance. Remarkably,
that conclusion, published more than 40 years ago, is only now
making its way into the treatment of chronically unstable
ankles. “I’m not really sure why it’s taken so long,” says
Patrick McKeon, an assistant professor in the Division of
Athletic Training at the University of Kentucky. “Maybe because
ankles don’t get much respect or research money. They’re the
neglected stepchild of body parts.”