This study was supported by the Jiangsu provincial government scholarship program and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

All animal studies were performed in accordance with the Guidelines for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Soochow University.
1. Surgical procedures
<ol>
	<li>Divide 21, 6-week-old C57BL/6 male mice into three groups: the transverse cervical ligament and anterior talofibular ligament group, the transverse cervical ligament and deltoid ligament group, and the sham surgery group. Ensure that all the mice were raised in an environment that meets specific pathogen-free (SPF) standards.</li>
	<li>Acclimatize the mice to the new rearing environment (a light/dark cycle of 12 h/12 h, and a constant temperature and humidity of 18-22 &#176;C and 40%-70%, respectively) for 2 weeks before the experiment. Subject the mice to balance beam and gait training, going from one end of a balance beam or U-shaped pipe to the other end without stopping, 1 week before the experiment.</li>
	<li>At the age of 8 weeks, anesthetize the mouse using isoflurane inhalation by wetting a cotton ball with 2 mL of isoflurane and placing it in an airtight container for full volatilization. Monitor the mouse&#39;s activity and continue inhalation until the activity of the mouse has significantly reduced. Determine the depth of anesthesia by pinching the toes of the mice to observe their reactions. Inhale vaporized isoflurane (2%) through a facemask to maintain anesthesia in mice during subsequent operations. Use veterinary eye ointment during anesthesia to prevent the eyes from drying.</li>
	<li>After anesthetizing, remove the hair on the ankle joint of the mouse&#39;s right hindlimbs with a shaver, and disinfect the exposed skin three times with alternating rounds of iodine cotton balls and alcohol cotton balls. Administer 5 mg/kg carprofen by subcutaneous injection. Transfer the mouse to the microsurgery animal operating room using a sterile surgical pad.</li>
	<li>For the transverse cervical ligament and anterior talofibular ligament (CL + ATFL) group, make a 7 mm oblique downward longitudinal incision with a scalpel on the skin above the right ankle joint, and probe with microscopic straight forceps in front of the ankle joint.</li>
	<li>Ensure the exposure of the ATFL at the lower border of the talus body and the fibula after probing and cut it gently with a scalpel. Separate the long and short fibular tendons and the extensor digitorum longus tendons, expose the CL, and cut it with a scalpel.</li>
	<li>For the transverse CL + deltoid ligament (DL) group, make an 8 mm vertical incision on the medial skin of the right ankle joint and bluntly separate the DL from the medial malleolus to finally cut it. Then, cut the CL as described in step 1.5.</li>
	<li>For the sham group (sham surgery group), perform sham surgery on the right ankle joint but do not cut any ligaments.</li>
	<li>Flush the incision with sterile normal saline and suture it with 5-0 surgical nylon thread. Finally, disinfect the sutured incision with an iodine cotton ball.</li>
	<li>Keep the mouse under observation until it can maintain sternal recumbency, and supervise until it is fully conscious. Disinfect the ankle incision twice per day with an iodine cotton ball and administer carprofen (5 mg/kg, subcutaneous injection), once a day for 1 week. Rear alone after the operation, and pay close attention to the postoperative condition of the mouse.</li>
	<li>Two weeks after surgery and when the ankle joint swelling has reduced, start exercising the mice in the mouse rotary fatigue machine for 1 h every day.</li>
</ol>
2. Balance beam test
<ol>
	<li>Clamp a circular wooden beam with a length of 1 m and a diameter of 20 mm, inclined at 15&#176; at one end, with a photography tripod clip, and place the other end on a work surface connected to a closed cassette.</li>
	<li>Perform balance beam training 1 week before surgery to ensure that the mice smoothly move from one end of the beam to the other. Consider a mouse to have passed the test when it passes through the beam twice in 60 s without pausing.</li>
	<li>Perform two consecutive trials for each mouse and spray the balance beam with 75% alcohol after each trial to prevent the residual odor of the previous mouse from affecting the next mouse.</li>
	<li>Perform the balance beam test preoperatively, 3 days, 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after surgery. Record the average time of each mouse passing the balance beam twice in a row and the number of times the right hindfoot slips off the beam as dependent variables.</li>
</ol>
3. Footprint analysis
<ol>
	<li>Place a U-shaped plastic channel with a length of 50 cm, a width of 10 cm, and a height of 10 cm on the experimental table and connect one end of the plastic channel to a closed cassette.</li>
	<li>Place a plain pigment paper flat in the channel, and then hold the mouse with both hands and paint their front and rear feet evenly with non-toxic red and green pigment.</li>
	<li>Place the painted mouse gently at one end of the channel and let them move to the other end of the cassette. Take the pigmented paper with the footprints out, mark it, and place it on a rack to dry in a ventilated and shaded place.</li>
	<li>After each mouse has passed, spray the U-shaped plastic channel with 75% alcohol so as to prevent the previous mouse&#39;s residual odor from affecting the next mouse.</li>
	<li>Select three consecutive clear mouse footprints on each paper, and use a ruler to measure the step length of the footprint of the mouse&#39;s right foot, as well as the step width between the left and right footprints.</li>
</ol>
4. Thermal nociception assessment
<ol>
	<li>During the experiment, use the plantar test to record the thermal nociception reaction time of the mouse foot and the reaction time of the mouse during activity and resting, respectively. Record the measurement data in seconds.</li>
	<li>Place the mouse in the measuring instrument, align the instrument with its right foot, and start to heat the instrument with the temperature increasing slowly. Observe the mouse&#39;s response. When the temperature increases above tolerance, the mouse will quickly withdraw or lick its right foot. Record the time using the instrument and define the time as the reaction time during the activity.</li>
	<li>To measure the reaction time at rest, allow the mouse to sit for 30 min on the rest table without heating, and then obtain the time data as explained in step 4.2. Use these acquired temporal data for subsequent analysis.</li>
</ol>
5. Micro-CT scanning
<ol>
	<li>Euthanize 12-week-old mice with carbon dioxide postoperatively, peel off the skin of their right ankles, and then cut their middle tibia and fibula with surgical scissors to obtain complete ankle specimens. Place the specimens in marked 15 mL centrifuge tubes containing 10% neutral formalin for 48 h.</li>
	<li>After fixation, place the specimens in batches (four specimens per batch) in a special sponge tank for micro-CT scanning. Set the machine parameters as follows: voltage = 50 kV, current = 200 mA, filter = 0.5 mmAl, and resolution = 9 &#181;m. Run the micro-CT scanner.</li>
	<li>After scanning, use the reconstruction software to delineate the range of the image, and select a specific angle position after adjusting the XYZ axis of the delineated image using commercial data analysis software, as described in Liu et al.10.</li>
	<li>Use micro-CT analysis software to select continuous 10-layer regions of interest in the restructured images adjusted by the XYZ axes, and quantitatively analyze the required joints to determine the bone volume fraction (BV/TV), as described in Liu et al.10.</li>
	<li>Finally, use three-dimensional medical image processing software to perform three-dimensional CT image processing of the mouse ankle joints, as described in Liu et al.10. After reconstruction, observe the wear and the formation of osteophytes in the ASCJ.</li>
</ol>
6. Section staining of articular cartilage
NOTE: All the staining steps are performed in a fume hood, and a mask is worn during the procedure.
<ol>
	<li>Use microscopic tweezers and scissors to remove excess soft tissue around the ankle specimens, and then place the specimens in a centrifuge tube containing 10% EDTA decalcification solution prepared with 44 g of NaOH, two packs of PBS, and 400 g of EDTA-2Na, with the pH adjusted to 7.35-7.45 with hydrochloric acid, and mark the different groups.</li>
	<li>Next, place the centrifuge tube on a shaking table (speed set to 20 rpm) for decalcification and change the decalcification solution once per day. Determine the decalcification of the specimens.</li>
	<li>After 1 month of decalcification, dehydrate the specimens with gradient alcohol and then use n-butanol for 8 h for clearing purposes. Finally, immerse the cleared specimens in paraffin in a coronal position for embedding.</li>
	<li>Place the paraffin specimens in a 4 &#176;C refrigerator for later use. Before sectioning, take the specimens from the 4 &#176;C refrigerator and place them in a &#8722;20 &#176;C freezer for about 10 min to facilitate the cutting of the complete plane.</li>
	<li>Fix the specimens on the microtome and section them at a thickness of 6 &#181;m. At the same time, use a microscope to observe whether the samples have been cut at the expected level-easy penetration of a syringe needle into the bone tissue.</li>
	<li>Adjust the water temperature of the tablet machine to 40 &#176;C in advance. Next, cut two to three complete paraffin sections in a row and transfer them to the tablet machine for full expansion. Then, remove the paraffin sections with a glass slide and drain the water. Finally, mark the slides with groups and numbers.</li>
</ol>
7. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&#38;E) staining
<ol>
	<li>Place the sections in a 60 &#176;C incubator in such a manner that the intact ASCJ joint structure can be observed under the microscope and bake the sections for 40-50 min. Then, dewax the sections with xylene 3x, numbered as I, II, and III for easy identification, for 15 min, 15 min, and 10 min, respectively.</li>
	<li>Place the dewaxed sections in 100% ethanol 2x, numbered as I and II for easy identification, 90% ethanol, and 80% ethanol for 3 min, 3 min, 5 min, and 5 min, respectively. Next, wash the sections with double-distilled water (ddH2O) for 5 min.</li>
	<li>After soaking with hematoxylin for 1 min, wash the sections with ddH2O until they become colorless. Soak the sections in 1% acid ethanol differentiation solution for 30 s and wash them 3x for 1 min with ddH2O. After that, stain the sections with 1% ammonia solution for 1 min, and then wash 3x for 1 min each with ddH2O.</li>
	<li>Next, stain the samples with eosin staining solution for 1 min, and then put them in 95% ethanol and 100% ethanol for 1 min each in succession. Finally, treat the sections with xylene IV for 1 min.</li>
	<li>Air-dry the sections, paste a drop of neutral resin onto the specimens on the slides, and cover them with a cover slip. Then, take images with an upright fluorescence microscope in brightfield at 5x and 20x.</li>
</ol>
8. Safranin O-fast green staining
<ol>
	<li>Place the selected sections into a 60 &#176;C incubator and bake the sections for 40-50 min. Then, dewax the sections with xylene I, II, and III for 15 min, 15 min, and 10 min, respectively.</li>
	<li>Place the dewaxed sections in 100% ethanol I, II, 90% ethanol, and 80% ethanol for 3 min, 3 min, 5 min, and 5 min, respectively. Next, wash the sections with ddH2O for 5 min.</li>
	<li>After soaking with hematoxylin for 1 min, wash the sections with ddH2O until they become colorless. Soak the sections in 1% acid ethanol differentiation solution for 30 s and wash them 3x for 1 min with ddH2O. Then, stain the sections with 1% ammonia solution for 1 min, and wash them 3x for 1 min each with ddH2O.</li>
	<li>Soak the sections in 0.05% fast green for 2 min, followed by soaking the sections in 1% acetic acid solution for 30 s and in 0.1% safranine for 5 min. Place the stained samples in 95% ethanol and 100% ethanol for 1 min, one after the other.</li>
	<li>Finally, treat the sections with xylene IV for 1 min. Air-dry the sections, paste a drop of neutral resin onto the specimens on the slides, and cover them with a cover slip. Then, take images with an upright fluorescence microscope in brightfield at 5x and 20x.</li>
</ol>
9. Immunohistochemistry
<ol>
	<li>Day 1: Place the selected sections in a 60 &#176;C incubator, bake the sections for 40-50 min, and then dewax them with xylene I, II, and III for 15 min, 15 min, and 10 min, respectively. Place the dewaxed sections in 100% ethanol I, II, 90% ethanol, and 80% ethanol for 3 min, 3 min, 5 min, and 5 min, respectively. Then, wash the sections with ddH2O for 5 min, use a histochemical pen to circle the area of the specimen, and place them in a dark box.</li>
	<li>Antigen retrieval: Drop 20-50 &#181;L of 0.25% trypsin into the circled specimen area, incubate in a 37 &#176;C incubator for 60 min, and then wash the specimens 3x for 2 min each with PBS. Block endogenous peroxidase by adding 3% H2O2, incubate the specimens for 10 min at room temperature in the dark, and then wash them 3x for 2 min each with PBS. Perform serum blocking by adding 10% goat serum at room temperature for 20 min, and then incubate with the primary antibody (mouse anti-mouse type II collagen, diluted 1,000 times) at 4 &#176;C overnight.</li>
	<li>Day 2: Rewarm the sections at room temperature for 30 min. Recover the primary antibody and wash the sections 3x for 2 min each with PBS. Incubate with the secondary antibody for 40 min in an incubator at 37 &#176;C, and then wash the sections 3x for 2 min each with PBS.</li>
	<li>DAB color development: Add 5 mL of ddH2O, two drops of buffer, four drops of DAB, and two drops of H2O2 to prepare the DAB reagent. Add 20-50 &#181;L of reagent to the sections, keep the samples protected from light for 5 min, and then wash the sections for 2 min with ddH2O.</li>
	<li>After soaking with hematoxylin for 1 min, wash the sections with ddH2O until they become colorless. Soak the sections in 1% acid ethanol differentiation solution for 30 s and wash them 3x for 1 min each with ddH2O. Stain the sections for 1 min with 1% ammonia solution, and then wash them 3x for 1 min each with ddH2O.</li>
	<li>Next, place the sections in 95% ethanol and 100% ethanol, respectively, for 1 min each. Finally, incubate the sections for 1 min with xylene IV. Air-dry the sections, paste a drop of neutral resin onto the specimens on the slides, and cover them with a cover slip. Then, take images with an upright fluorescence microscope in brightfield at 5x and 20x.</li>
</ol>

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None of the authors have any conflicting interests.

In this study, two mouse models of ASCJ instability were successfully constructed by transecting CL + ATFL or CL + DL. The time for the mice to pass through the balance beam increased significantly at 8 weeks and 12 weeks after surgery, which is similar to the results obtained by the Hubbard-Turner team by cutting the lateral ligament of the ankle joint23,24. In the right foot sliding test, we observed that the sliding times of the two groups of mice with severed...

Ankle sprains are one of the most common sports injuries worldwide. It is estimated that 10,000 people are injured daily in the United States1, of which sports-related injuries account for 15%-45%2. The medical costs associated with treating ankle sprains in the United States amount to $4.2 billion annually3,4,5. Chronic foot instability is a common problem following ankle sprains and occurs in approximately 74% of ankle sprains6, including ankle or subtalar instability. However, due to the similar clinical symptoms and signs, it is difficult for medical staff to distinguish whether chronic ankle instability is also accompanied by chronic subtalar joint instability in the clinic, and as a result, chronic subtalar instability can be easily missed. Therefore, the true incidence of chronic ankle-subtalar complex joint (ASCJ) instability (a specific type of chronic foot instability that includes both chronic ankle instability and chronic subtalar instability) may be higher than reported7,8,9. If left untreated, chronic ankle-subtalar complex joint instability can cause repeated ankle sprains, leading to a vicious circle of ankle sprains and chronic ankle-subtalar complex instability. Long-term chronic ankle-subtalar complex instability can lead to degeneration of the ASCJ and post-traumatic osteoarthritis, which can affect the adjacent joints in severe cases10. For these diseases, the current clinical treatment is mainly conservative, in addition to surgical treatment methods such as ligament repair and ligament reconstruction11,12.
ASCJ is the core structure of the foot and maintains the balance of the body during movement13. Extensive research has been conducted on the structure of the ankle joint and the subtalar joint separately14,15,16,17. However, research on the whole ankle-subtalar joint is rare. About one-quarter of the cases of ankle injury are associated with subtalar joint injury18. Due to the complex injury mechanism of ASCJ instability, there is no consensus on diagnosing and treating it in the clinical setting. Considering the current situation of ankle injuries in the clinic, a more scientific method is needed to study the ankle and subtalar joint as a whole, thereby providing a new understanding for studying foot diseases.
Since the anatomical structure of the mouse hindfoot at the musculoskeletal level is comparable to that of the human foot19, in several studies, mouse models for foot/ankle research have already been implemented10,19. Chang et al.19 successfully developed three different mouse models of ankle osteoarthritis. Inspired by the successful establishment of ankle instability in the mouse model, we established a mouse model for ankle-subtalar complex instability, hypothesizing that the transection of the partial ligaments in the mouse hindfoot would result in mechanical instability of the ASCJ, which would lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) of the ASCJ. The ASCJ instability animal model could be used for the treatment of both ankle instability and subtalar instability, which is more in line with the actual clinical situation than the currently used simple ankle instability model7,8,9,19. To test this hypothesis, two mouse models of ligament transection-induced instability of the ASCJ were designed. The results for the sensory-motor function-the balance beam test, footprint analysis, and thermal nociception assessment-were used to evaluate the feasibility of the model, and micro-computed tomography (CT) and histological staining were used to evaluate the damage and degeneration of the mouse articular cartilage. The successful establishment of a mouse model of ASCJ instability not only provides a new understanding for studying foot diseases but also provides a valuable reference for clinical research on the injury-related mechanisms, provides better treatment options for ankle sprains, and is helpful for further studies on the disease.

<table><tbody><tr><td>5-0 Surgical Nylon Suture</td><td>Ningbo Medical Needle Co., Ltd.</td><td>191104</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Acidic ethanol differentiation solution (1%)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R20778</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Adhesive slides</td><td>Jiangsu Shitai Company</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ammonia solution (1%)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R20788</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Anhydrous ethanol</td><td>Shanghai Sinopharm Group Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Aqueous acetic acid (1%)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R20773</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Black cube cassette</td><td>Shanghai Yizhe Instrument Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Centrifuge tube 15ml</td><td>Beijing Soleibo Technology Co., Ltd.</td><td>YA0476</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Centrifuge tube 50ml</td><td>Beijing Soleibo Technology Co., Ltd.</td><td>YA0472</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cover glass</td><td>Jiangsu Shitai Company</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CTAn software</td><td>Blue scientific</td><td></td><td>micro-CT analysis software</td></tr><tr><td>Dataview software</td><td>AEMC instruments</td><td></td><td>commercial data analysing software</td></tr><tr><td>Disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA-2Na)</td><td>Beijing Soleibo Technology Co., Ltd.</td><td>E8490</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Electric incubator</td><td>Suzhou Huamei Equipment Factory</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Embedding paraffin</td><td>Leica, Germany</td><td>39001006</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Eosin staining solution (alcohol soluble, 1%)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R30117</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fast green staining solution</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich, USA</td><td>F7275</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gait paper</td><td>Baoding Huarong Paper Factory</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>GraphPad Prism 8.0</td><td>Graphpad software</td><td></td><td>online statistical analysis tools</td></tr><tr><td>Iodophor cotton balls</td><td>Qingdao Hainuo Bioengineering Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Leica 818 blade</td><td>Leica, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Micro-CT</td><td>Skyscan, Belgium</td><td>SkyScan 1176</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Micromanipulation microscope</td><td>Suzhou Omet Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mimics software</td><td>Materialise&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td><td>3D medical image processing software&amp;nbsp;</td></tr><tr><td>Modified Harris Hematoxylin Stain</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R20566</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mouse anti-mouse type II collagen</td><td>American Abcam Company</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>NaOH</td><td>Shanghai Sinopharm Group Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>N-butanol</td><td>Shanghai Sinopharm Group Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Neutral formalin fixative (10%)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Neutral resin</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich, USA</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Nrecon reconstrcution software&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Micro Photonics Inc.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Oaks hair clipper</td><td>Oaks Group Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Paraffin Embedding Machine</td><td>Leica, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>PH meter</td><td>Shanghai Leitz Company</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)</td><td>American Biosharp</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Physiological saline (for mammals, sterile)</td><td>Shanghai Yuanye Biotechnology Co., Ltd.</td><td>R22172</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Safranin O-staining solution</td><td>Sigma-Aldrich, USA</td><td>HT90432</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Saline (0.9%)</td><td>Shanghai Baxter Medical Drug Co., Ltd.</td><td>309107</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Shaker</td><td>Haimen Qilin Bell Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd.</td><td>2008779</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SPSS 23</td><td>IBM</td><td></td><td>online statistical analysis tools</td></tr><tr><td>Tablet machine</td><td>Leica, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tissue slicer</td><td>Leica, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ugo Basile</td><td>Ugo Basile Biological Research Company</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Upright fluorescence microscope</td><td>Zeiss Axiovert, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>U-shaped plastic channel</td><td>Shanghai Yizhe Instrument Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Veterinary eye ointment</td><td>Pfizer</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Xylene</td><td>Shanghai Sinopharm Group Chemical Reagent Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>YLS-10B Wheel Fatigue Tester</td><td>Jinan Yiyan Technology Development Co., Ltd.</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

a mouse model of ankle-subtalar complex joint instability

Ankle sprains are perhaps the most common sports injuries in daily life, often resulting in instability of the ankle-subtalar complex joint (ASCJ), and can eventually lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) in the long term. However, due to the complexity of the injury mechanism and the clinical manifestations, such as ecchymosis, hematoma, or tenderness in the lateral foot, there is no clinical consensus on diagnosing and treating ASCJ instability. Since the musculoskeletal structure of the bones and ligaments of the mouse hindfoot is comparable to that of humans, an animal model of ASCJ instability in mice was established by the transection of ligaments around the ASCJ. The model was well-validated through a series of behavioral tests and histological analyses, including a balance beam test, a footprint analysis (an assessment of exercise level and balance ability in mice), a thermal nociception assessment (an assessment of foot sensory function in mice), micro-computed tomography (CT) scanning, and section staining of the articular cartilage (an assessment of articular cartilage damage and degeneration in mice). The successful establishment of a mouse model of ASCJ instability will provide a valuable reference for clinical research on the injury mechanism and result in better treatment options for ankle sprain.

The statistical analysis of the correlation data was performed using online statistical analysis tools. The data that met the two tests of normal distribution and homogeneity of variance were used for further statistical analysis by one-way analysis of variance. If the data did not meet the two tests, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for the statistical analysis. The data are expressed as the mean &#177; standard deviation (SD), and p &#60; 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
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A Mouse Model of Ankle-Subtalar Complex Joint Instability

The ankle-subtalar complex joint (ASCJ) is the core of the foot and plays a key role in balance control in daily activities. Sports injuries often lead to instability in this joint. Here, we describe a mouse model of ligament transection-induced instability of the ASCJ.

Ankle sprains are perhaps the most common sports injuries in daily life, often resulting in instability of the ankle-subtalar complex joint (ASCJ), and ...

a-mouse-model-of-ankle-subtalar-complex-joint-instability

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

1.3K Views.  The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. The ankle-subtalar complex joint (ASCJ) is the core of the foot and plays a key role in balance control in daily activities. Sports injuries often lead to instability in this joint. Here, we describe a mouse model of ligament transection-induced instability of the ASCJ.

Video: A Mouse Model of Ankle-Subtalar Complex Joint Instability

A Human-machine-interface Integrating Low-cost Sensors with a Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation System for Post-stroke Balance Rehabilitation

A stroke is caused when an artery carrying blood from heart to an area in the brain bursts or a clot obstructs the blood flow to brain thereby preventing delivery of oxygen and nutrients. About half of the stroke survivors are left with some degree of disability. Innovative methodologies for restorative neurorehabilitation are urgently required to reduce long-term disability. The ability of the nervous system to reorganize its structure, function and connections as a response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli is called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is involved in post-stroke functional disturbances, but also in rehabilitation. Beneficial neuroplastic changes may be facilitated with non-invasive electrotherapy, such as neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and sensory electrical stimulation (SES). NMES involves coordinated electrical stimulation of motor nerves and muscles to activate them with continuous short pulses of electrical current while SES involves stimulation of sensory nerves with electrical current resulting in sensations that vary from barely perceivable to highly unpleasant. Here, active cortical participation in rehabilitation procedures may be facilitated by driving the non-invasive electrotherapy with biosignals (electromyogram (EMG), electroencephalogram (EEG), electrooculogram (EOG)) that represent simultaneous active perception and volitional effort. To achieve this in a resource-poor setting, e.g., in low- and middle-income countries, we present a low-cost human-machine-interface (HMI) by leveraging recent advances in off-the-shelf video game sensor technology. In this paper, we discuss the open-source software interface that integrates low-cost off-the-shelf sensors for visual-auditory biofeedback with non-invasive electrotherapy to assist postural control during balance rehabilitation. We demonstrate the proof-of-concept on healthy volunteers.

A novel low-cost human-machine interface for interactive post-stroke balance rehabilitation system is presented in this article. The system integrates off-the-shelf low-cost sensors towards volitionally driven electrotherapy paradigm. The proof-of-concept software interface is demonstrated on healthy volunteers.

A stroke is caused when an artery carrying blood from heart to an area in the brain bursts or a clot obstructs the blood flow to brain thereby preventing ...

Neuroscience

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion

Bone stress injuries are common in sports and military trainings. Repetitive large ground impact forces during training could be the cause. It is essential to determine the effect of high ground impact forces on lower-body bone deformation to better understand the mechanisms of bone stress injuries. Conventional strain gauge measurement has been used to study in vivo tibia deformation. This method is associated with limitations including invasiveness of the procedure, involvement of few human subjects, and limited strain data from small bone surface areas. The current study intends to introduce a novel approach to study tibia bone strain under high impact loading conditions. A subject-specific musculoskeletal model was created to represent a healthy male (19 years, 80 kg, 1,800 mm). A flexible finite element tibia model was created based on a computed tomography (CT) scan of the subject&#39;s right tibia. Laboratory motion capture was performed to obtain kinematics and ground reaction forces of drop-landings from different heights (26, 39, 52 cm). Multibody dynamic computer simulations combined with a modal analysis of the flexible tibia were performed to quantify tibia strain during drop-landings. Calculated tibia strain data were in good agreement with previous in vivo studies. It is evident that this non-invasive approach can be applied to study tibia bone strain during high impact activities for a large cohort, which will lead to a better understanding of injury mechanism of tibia stress fractures.

During landing, lower-body bones experience large mechanical loads and are deformed. It is essential to measure bone deformation to better understand the mechanisms of bone stress injuries associated with impacts. A novel approach integrating subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling and finite element analysis is used to measure tibial strain during dynamic movements.

Bone stress injuries are common in sports and military trainings. Repetitive large ground impact forces during training could be the cause. It is ...

Bioengineering

Diagnosis of Musculus Gastrocnemius Tightness - Key Factors for the Clinical Examination

Common foot and ankle pathologies have been linked to isolated Musculus gastrocnemius tightness (MGT). Various examination techniques have been described to assess MGT. Still, a standardized examination procedure is missing. Literature argues for weightbearing examination but the degree of knee flexion needed to eliminate the restraining effect of the M. gastrocnemius on ankle dorsiflexion (ADF) is unknown. This manuscript investigates the effect of knee flexion on ankle dorsiflexion and provides a detailed description of a standardized examination protocol. Examination on 20 healthy individuals revealed, that 20&#176; of knee flexion is sufficient to fully eliminate the influence of the M. gastrocnemius on ADF. This builds the prerequisite for a standardized examination for MGT. Non-weightbearing and weightbearing examination of ADF has to be conducted with the knee fully extended and at least 20&#176; flexed. Two investigators should conduct non-weightbearing testing with the subject in supine position. In order to obtain reliable results, the axis of the fibula should be marked. One examiner can conduct weightbearing examination with the subject in lunge stance. Isolated MGT is present if ADF is impaired with the knee fully extended and knee flexion results in a significant ADF increase. The herein presented standardized examination is the prerequisite for future studies aiming at establishing norm values.

Diagnosis of Musculus Gastrocnemius Tightness - Key Factors for the Clinical Examination

Isolated Musculus gastrocnemius tightness is a common cause for foot and ankle pathologies. Currently no standardized examination procedure exists. This manuscript demonstrates that 20 degree of knee flexion eliminates the restraining effect of the M. gastrocnemius on ankle dorsiflexion and presents a video description of a standardized examination protocol.

Common foot and ankle pathologies have been linked to isolated Musculus gastrocnemius tightness (MGT). Various examination techniques have been described ...

Medicine

Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control

Many components of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems act in concert to achieve the stable, upright human posture. Controlled experiments accompanied by appropriate mathematical methods are needed to understand the role of the different sub-systems involved in human postural control. This article describes a protocol for performing perturbed standing experiments, acquiring experimental data, and carrying out the subsequent mathematical analysis, with the aim of understanding the role of musculoskeletal system and central control in human upright posture. The results generated by these methods are important, because they provide insight into the healthy balance control, form the basis for understanding the etiology of impaired balance in patients and the elderly, and aid in the design of interventions to improve postural control and stability. These methods can be used to study the role of somatosensory system, intrinsic stiffness of ankle joint, and visual system in postural control, and may also be extended to investigate the role of vestibular system. The methods are to be used in the case of an ankle strategy, where the body moves primarily about the ankle joint and is considered a single-link inverted pendulum.

This article presents an experimental/analytic framework to study human postural control. The protocol provides step-by-step procedures for performing standing experiments, measuring body kinematics and kinetics signals, and analyzing the results to provide insight into the mechanisms underlying human postural control.

Many components of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems act in concert to achieve the stable, upright human posture. Controlled experiments accompanied ...

Cyclic Mechanical Loading for Inducing Tendinopathy in Rat Achilles Tendon

A Passive Ankle Dorsiflexion Testing System for an In Vivo Model of Overuse-induced Tendinopathy

Tendinopathy is a chronic tendon condition that results in pain and loss of function and is caused by repeated overload of the tendon and limited recovery time. This protocol describes a testing system that cyclically applies mechanical loads via passive dorsiflexion to the rat Achilles tendon. The custom-written code consists of pre- and post-cyclic loading measurements to assess the effects of the loading protocol along with the feedback control-based cyclic fatigue loading regimen. 
We used 25 Sprague-Dawley rats for this study, with 5 rats per group receiving either 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,600, or 7,200 cycles of fatigue loads. The percentage differences between the pre- and post-cyclic loading measurements of the hysteresis, peak stress, and loading and unloading moduli were calculated. The results demonstrate that the system can induce varying degrees of damage to the Achilles tendon based on the number of loads applied. This system offers an innovative approach to apply quantified and physiological varying degrees of cyclic loads to the Achilles tendon for an in vivo model of fatigue-induced overuse tendon injury.

Author Spotlight: Integrating Mechanical and Biological Analysis in Tendinopathy Research 

This protocol presents a testing system used to induce quantifiable and controlled fatigue injuries in a rat Achilles tendon for an in-vivo model of overuse-induced tendinopathy. The procedure consists of securing the rat's ankle to a joint actuator that performs passive ankle dorsiflexion with a custom-written MATLAB script.

Tendinopathy is a chronic tendon condition that results in pain and loss of function and is caused by repeated overload of the tendon and limited recovery ...

Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability

Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) is an objective technique for the evaluation of postural stability under static and dynamic conditions and perturbation. CDP is based on the inverted pendulum model that traces the interrelationship between the center of pressure and the center of gravity. CDP can be used to analyze the proportions of vision, proprioception, and vestibular sensation to maintain postural stability. The following characters define chronic ankle instability (CAI): persistent ankle pain, swelling, the feeling of &#8220;giving way,&#8221; and self-reported disability. Postural stability and fibular muscle activation level in individuals with CAI decreased due to lateral ankle ligament complex injuries. Few studies have used CDP to explore the postural stability of individuals with CAI. Studies that investigate postural stability and related muscle activation by using synchronized CDP with surface electromyography are lacking. This CDP protocol includes a sensory organization test (SOT), a motor control test (MCT), and an adaption test (ADT), as well as tests that measure unilateral stance (US) and limit of stability (LOS). The surface electromyography system is synchronized with CDP to collect data on lower limb muscle activation during measurement. This protocol presents a novel approach for evaluating the coordination of the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems and related muscle activation to maintain postural stability. Moreover, it provides new insights into the neuromuscular control of individuals with CAI when coping with real complex environments.

Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) exhibit postural control deficiency and delayed muscle activation of lower extremities. Computerized dynamic posturography combined with surface electromyography provides insights into the coordination of the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular systems with muscle activation regulation to maintain postural stability in individuals with CAI.

Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) is an objective technique for the evaluation of postural stability under static and dynamic conditions and ...

Comprehensive Understanding of Inactivity-Induced Gait Alteration in Rodents

It is well known that disuse affects neural systems and that joint motions become altered; however, which outcomes properly exhibit these characteristics is still unclear. The present study describes a motion analysis approach that utilizes three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction from video captures. Using this technology, disuse-evoked alterations of walking performances were observed in rodents exposed to a simulated microgravity environment by unloading their hindlimb by their tail. After 2 weeks of unloading, the rats walked on a treadmill, and their gait motions were captured with four charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras. 3D motion profiles were reconstructed and compared to those of control subjects using the image processing software. The reconstructed outcome measures successfully portrayed distinct aspects of distorted gait motion: hyperextension of the knee and ankle joints and higher position of the hip joints during the stance phase. Motion analysis is useful for several reasons. First, it enables quantitative behavioral evaluations instead of subjective observations (e.g., pass/fail in certain tasks). Second, multiple parameters can be extracted to fit specific needs once the fundamental datasets are obtained. Despite hurdles for broader application, the disadvantages of this method, including labor intensity and cost, may be alleviated by determining comprehensive measurements and experimental procedures.

The present protocol describes three-dimensional motion tracking/evaluation to depict gait motion alteration of rats after exposure to a simulated disuse environment.

It is well known that disuse affects neural systems and that joint motions become altered; however, which outcomes properly exhibit these characteristics ...

The Tibial Fracture-Pin Model: A Clinically Relevant Mouse Model of Orthopedic Injury

The tibial fracture-pin model is a mouse model of orthopedic trauma and surgery that recapitulates the complex muscle, bone, nerve, and connective tissue damage that manifests with this type of injury in humans. This model was developed because previous models of orthopedic trauma did not include simultaneous injury to multiple tissue types (bone, muscle, nerves) and were not truly representative of human complex orthopedic trauma. The authors therefore modified previous models of orthopedic trauma and developed the tibial fracture-pin model. This modified fracture model consists of a unilateral open tibial fracture with intramedullary nail (IMN) internal fixation and simultaneous tibialis anterior (TA) muscle injury, resulting in mechanical allodynia that lasts up to 5 weeks post injury. This series of protocols outlines the detailed steps to perform the clinically relevant orthopedic trauma tibial fracture-pin model, followed by a modified hot plate assay to examine nociceptive changes after orthopedic injury. Taken together, these detailed, reproducible protocols will allow pain researchers to expand their toolkit for studying orthopedic trauma-induced pain.

The tibial fracture-pin model is a clinically relevant model of orthopedic trauma comprising a unilateral open tibial fracture with intramedullary nail internal fixation and simultaneous injury to the tibialis anterior muscle. Thermal sensitivity in this model can be measured using a 45 s hot plate paradigm.

The tibial fracture-pin model is a mouse model of orthopedic trauma and surgery that recapitulates the complex muscle, bone, nerve, and connective tissue ...

Destabilization of the Medial Meniscus and Cartilage Scratch Murine Model of Accelerated Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent musculoskeletal disease in people over 45, leading to an increasing economic and societal cost. Animal models are used to mimic many aspects of the disease. The present protocol describes the destabilization and cartilage scratch model (DCS) of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Based on the widely used destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) model, DCS introduces three scratches on the cartilage surface. The current article highlights the steps to destabilize the knee by transecting the medial meniscotibial ligament followed by three intentional superficial scratches on the articular cartilage. The possible analysis methods by dynamic weight-bearing, microcomputed tomography, and histology are also demonstrated. While the DCS model is not recommended for studies that focus on the effect of osteoarthritis on the cartilage, it enables the study of osteoarthritis development in a shorter time window, with special focus on (1) osteophyte formation, (2) osteoarthritic and injury pain, and (3) the effect of cartilage damage in the whole joint.

The present protocol describes the controlled microblade scratches on the surface of the articular cartilage after destabilizing the mouse knee by cutting the medial miniscotibial ligament. This animal model presents an accelerated form of osteoarthritis (OA) suitable for studying osteophyte formation, osteosclerosis, and early-stage pain.

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent musculoskeletal disease in people over 45, leading to an increasing economic and societal cost. Animal models are ...

A Mouse Model of Lumbar Spine Instability

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common pathological change leading to low back pain. Appropriate animal models are desired for understanding the pathological processes and evaluating new drugs. Here, we introduced a surgically induced lumbar spine instability (LSI) mouse model that develops IDD starting from 1 week post operation. In detail, the mouse under anesthesia was operated by low back skin incision, L3&#8211;L5 spinous processes exposure, detachment of paraspinous muscles, resection of processes and ligaments, and skin closure. L4&#8211;L5 IVDs were chosen for the observation. The LSI model develops lumbar IDD by porosity and hypertrophy in endplates at an early stage, decrease in intervertebral disc volume, shrinkage in nucleus pulposus at an intermediate stage, and bone loss in lumbar vertebrae (L5) at a later stage. The LSI mouse model has the advantages of strong operability, no requirement of special equipment, reproducibility, inexpensive, and relatively short period of IDD development. However, LSI operation is still a trauma that causes inflammation within the first week post operation. Thus, this animal model is suitable for study of lumbar IDD.

We developed a lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration mouse model by resection of L3&#8211;L5 spinous processes along with supra- and inter-spinous ligaments and detachment of paraspinous muscles.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common pathological change leading to low back pain. Appropriate animal models are desired for understanding ...

A Mouse Model of Ankle-Subtalar Complex Joint Instability

Summary

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