Anterior translation and medial rotation of the talus can affect the ankle joint contact forces during hopping

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of altered talus alignments on ankle joint contact forces (AJF) during vertical hopping. Motion capture and ground reaction force data were collected as ten participants hopped at 2.4 Hz. Various cases of anterior translation and medial rotation of the talus were simulated with 2250 iterations and AJF were calculated. Linear regressions were used to identify the relationships between abnormal talus alignment and AJF. The results showed that abnormal alignment significantly (p < 0.0001) influenced AJF. In conclusion, abnormal talus alignment affects AJF, and should be examined and potentially managed in people who perform repetitive jumping motions and are at high risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.