INTRODUCTION: The ankle is the most frequently injured joint both in athletics and daily life, and the inversion sprain is the most common injury with significant functional repercussion, given the high recurrence rate after a primary sprain. The effects of ankle injury are not restricted to that joint and changes in the recruitment and strength of the hip muscles have been found after ankle inversion sprains. These changes may implicate in modified positions of the foot in gait during heel strike, making the ankle more susceptible to inversion injury. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article was to perform a review of the literature studies that have analyzed the neuromuscular alterations of the hip joint associated with ankle inversion sprains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search in electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, PEDro, SciELO, LILACS and Embase) was performed from 1966 to 2009, with 13 studies found to be pertinent to this matter. RESULTS: Among these, nine have found alterations in strength and/or recruitment of the hip muscles after an ankle sprain, suggesting that the implications of the local injury also manifest in proximal structures of the lower limb, with possible influence in recurrence of the injury. Only two articles were prospective analysis, and in those no evidence of neuromuscular alterations on the hip was found prior to the ankle injury, suggesting that the changes in strength and firing of the hip muscles are probably secondary to the distal lesion. CONCLUSION: More studies, with more methodological uniformity, are necessary for further elucidation on this matter.
Hip muscles; Inversion sprain; Ankle; Electromyography
