Bipedal vs. Unipedal Exercises in Chronic Ankle Instability

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.

Conditions

• Instability; Ankle (Ligaments) (Old Injury)

Interventions

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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Bezmialem Vakif University

  collaborator OTHER

• Acıbadem Atunizade Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ayşenur Erekdağ, MSc · Bezmialem Vakif University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

50 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-03-04

Primary Completion

2026-03-01

Completion

2026-07-01

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations