NCT06244511

Bipedal vs. Unipedal Exercises in Chronic Ankle Instability

When to Start Bipedal Exercises in Chronic Ankle Instability?

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Ankle sprain is a commonly encountered condition in clinical practice, constituting approximately 15-30% of all musculoskeletal injuries. Long-term studies have demonstrated that up to 73% of patients experience at least one more ankle sprain following an acute ankle sprain. Inadequate treatment of acute ankle instability can lead to chronic ankle instability (CAI) in 30-70% of cases. Treatment approaches for CAI are classified into conservative and surgical methods. Typically, conservative treatment is initially employed to address proprioceptive deficits and static impairments. Passive, unidirectional treatments such as injections, electrotherapy, and ice, which do not target muscle strength, kinetic chain, tendon capacity, and cortical control, are reported to be insufficient or ineffective in treating CAI, relying solely on symptomatic relief. Therefore, therapeutic exercises are fundamental in CAI treatment, leading to positive developments in parameters such as strength, dynamic balance, functional status, quality of life, and injury risk. Among the most commonly used exercise approaches are proprioceptive and resistive exercises. Upon reviewing the literature, it is observed that bipedal exercises have been employed from the early stages of CAI. However, due to clinical symptoms such as pain, insecurity, and fear associated with loading the affected limb, patients tend to avoid putting weight on the affected limb, resulting in the frequent use of bipedal exercises in the early phases of rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to comparatively examine the effectiveness of unipedal exercise interventions used in the early stages of rehabilitation for individuals with CAI in terms of pain, functional stability, fear avoidance, disease severity, functional performance, balance, and patient satisfaction, in comparison to bipedal exercise interventions.

Detailed description

Voluntary participants who have been diagnosed with chronic ankle instability will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from participants. Participants will be divided into two groups. The study groups will be as follows: a) early bipedal exercise group, b) late bipedal exercise group.

Conditions

• Instability; Ankle (Ligaments) (Old Injury)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Early Bipedal Exercise	Proprioceptive, resistive, nuromuscular exercises and stretching; Exercise interventions involving the active use of both extremities will be implemented for the first four weeks.
OTHER	Late Bipedal Exercise	Proprioceptive, resistive, nuromuscular exercises and stretching; Exercise interventions involving the active use of both extremities will be implemented for the last four weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-03-04
• Primary completion: 2026-03-01
• Completion: 2026-07-01
• First posted: 2024-02-06
• Last updated: 2025-03-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Turkey (Türkiye)