NCT02697461

Multisegmented Foot Motion in Patients With Lateral Ankle Sprains and Chronic Ankle Instability

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 115 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Virginia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) and chronic ankle instability (CAI) are common musculoskeletal injuries that are a result of inversion injury during sport. The midfoot is frequently involved during inversion injury, is often overlooked during clinical examination, and maybe contributory to the development of CAI. The purpose of this study is to investigate multisegmented foot motion using a motion capture system, clinical joint physiological and accessory motion, and morphologic foot measurements in recreationally active men and women with and without a history of lateral ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability. Additionally, the effects of a joint mobilization intervention in patients with diminished multisegmented foot motion and intrinsic foot strengthening in healthy individuals will be investigated.

Detailed description

Arm 1:The purpose of this arm of the study is to determine if foot muscle exercises change the function of the foot. Up to 25 people will be enrolled in this arm of the study at the University of Virginia. Arm 2: The purpose of this arm of the study is to determine if joint mobilization applied to the middle part of the foot will effect function in people who are healthy, have a history of lateral ankle sprains (LAS), or have chronic ankle instability (CAI) and have joint stiffness. Up to 125 people will be enrolled in this arm of the study at the University of Virginia. CAI is a condition where symptoms from an ankle sprain last longer than one year. These symptoms include a feeling of looseness, feelings that the participant may roll the ankle, or repeated ankle sprains. This study may help clinicians prescribe simple exercises at home to help treat CAI. The participants are being asked to be in this study, because they are physically active (participate in some form of physical activity for at least 20 minutes per day, three days per week) and are not currently seeking medical treatment/therapy for LAS/CAI. Joint mobilization is a commonly used clinical intervention used to decrease pain and increase joint range of motion. The home exercises employed for this study are commonly used clinically in the treatment of foot and ankle problems and include a foot and calf stretch and standing on one foot for 60 seconds. The participant will be asked to perform these exercises three times daily throughout the course of the day. The investigators hypothesize that joint mobilization will improve patient oriented outcomes and measures of joint mobility and excursion in individuals with impaired foot mobility immediately post intervention and at 1-week follow-up, but not at 4 weeks; and intrinsic foot strengthening will result in differences in morphologic measures and intrinsic muscle cross-section in healthy individuals following a 4 week home exercise program.

Conditions

• Injuries, Ankle
• Sprain of Foot

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Intrinsic Foot Strengthening	Intrinsic foot strengthening is a commonly used intervention in clinic used to increase foot stability both in prevention of and in treatment of foot and ankle injury. Subjects allocated to the strengthening program will be educated in commonly used short foot exercises and "toe yoga" maneuvers that target the intrinsic muscles of the foot. No equipment will be required to perform the exercises.
OTHER	Joint Mobilization	Joint mobilization is a commonly used clinical intervention used to decrease pain and increase joint range of motion. In the treatment groups who present with joint hypomobility, a forefoot inversion maneuver with a dorsally applied pressure in the lateral midfoot and rearfoot stabilized will be applied at the barrier before the physiologic end range of motion. A second mobilization will be performed at the distal segment of the 1st Tarsometatarsal joint. These mobilizations will be performed by a board certified orthopaedic physical therapist with 14-yrs of practice experience. No equipment will be required to perform the joint mobilization.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-01-01
• Primary completion: 2017-05-09
• Completion: 2017-06-01
• First posted: 2016-03-03
• Last updated: 2017-05-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States