Four-week ankle-rehabilitation programs in adolescent athletes with chronic ankle instability

Department

Exercise Science and Sport Management

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2020

Abstract

© by the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc www.natajournals.org Context: Researchers have shown that rehabilitation programs incorporating resistance-band and balance-board exercises are effective for improving clinical measures of function and patient-reported outcomes in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI). However, whether combining the 2 exercises increases improvement is unknown. Objective: To determine the effectiveness of 3 rehabilitation programs on clinical measures of balance and self-reported function in adolescent patients with CAI. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial (Trail Registration Number: ClinicalTrails.gov: NCT03447652). Setting: High school athletic training facilities. Patients or Other Participants: Forty-three patients with CAI (age ¼ 16.37 6 1.00 years, height ¼ 171.75 6 12.05 cm, mass ¼ 69.38 6 18.36 kg) were block randomized into 4 rehabilitation groups. Intervention(s): Protocols were completed 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The resistance-band group performed 3 sets of 10 repetitions of ankle plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion with a resistance band. The Biomechanical Ankle Platform System group performed 5 trials of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations, changing direction every 10 seconds during each 40-second trial. The combination group completed resistance-band and Biomechanical Ankle Platform System programs during each session. The control group did not perform any exercises. Main Outcome Measure(s): Variables were assessed before and after the intervention: time-in-balance test, foot-lift test, Star Excursion Balance Test, side-hop test, figure-8 hop test, Foot and Ankle Ability Measure, and Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool. We conducted 4 separate multivariate repeated-measures analyses of variance, followed by univariate analyses for any findings that were different. Results: Using the time-in-balance test, foot-lift test, Star Excursion Balance Test (medial, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions), and figure-8 hop test, we detected improvement for each rehabilitation group compared with the control group (P,.05). However, no intervention group was superior. Conclusions: All 3 rehabilitation groups demonstrated improvement compared with the control group, yet the evidence was too limited to support a superior intervention. Over a 4-week period, either of the single-task interventions or the combination intervention can be used to combat the residual deficits associated with CAI in an adolescent patient population.

Journal Title

Journal of Athletic Training

Journal ISSN

10626050

Volume

55

Issue

8

First Page

801

Last Page

810

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.4085/1062-6050-41-19

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