Byeon H. Clinical impact of normative data in ankle strength evaluation. World J Orthop 2026; 17(3): 115692 [DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i3.115692]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Haewon Byeon, DSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Worker’s Care and Digital Health Lab, Department of Future Technology, Korea University of Technology and Education, 1600 Chungjeol-Road, Cheonan 31253, South Korea. bhwpuma@naver.com
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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World J Orthop. Mar 18, 2026; 17(3): 115692 Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i3.115692
Clinical impact of normative data in ankle strength evaluation
Haewon Byeon
Haewon Byeon, Worker’s Care and Digital Health Lab, Department of Future Technology, Korea University of Technology and Education, Cheonan 31253, South Korea
Author contributions: Byeon H designed the study, data interpretation, developed methodology, and writing the article.
Supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea, No. RS-2023-00237287.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Haewon Byeon, DSc, PhD, Associate Professor, Director, Worker’s Care and Digital Health Lab, Department of Future Technology, Korea University of Technology and Education, 1600 Chungjeol-Road, Cheonan 31253, South Korea. bhwpuma@naver.com
Received: October 24, 2025 Revised: November 19, 2025 Accepted: December 26, 2025 Published online: March 18, 2026 Processing time: 144 Days and 4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The work by da Fonseca et al provides a crucial, long-awaited normative dataset for isokinetic ankle strength. What’s particularly striking is their finding that healthy ankles naturally exhibit over 90% bilateral symmetry, as measured by both limb symmetry index and their new muscular deficiency index. This empirically grounds the > 90% threshold, a standard borrowed from knee rehabilitation, as a valid and achievable goal for the ankle. The clinical takeaway is clear: We now have objective, gender-specific benchmarks that allow us to move beyond the flawed assumption that the uninjured limb is a perfect ‘control’. This research equips clinicians with the tools to make more precise and defensible decisions about rehabilitation progress and safe return to activity.
