Comparison of Two Rehabilitation Protocols on Patient- and Disease-Oriented Outcomes in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

Proximal neuromuscular alterations are hypothesized to contribute to the patient- and disease-oriented deficits observed in CAI individuals. The objective was to compare the efficacy of two 4-week intervention programs with or without proximal joint exercises. Twenty-three individuals with CAI completed this single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Outcome measures included the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM). A time main effect was observed for the FAAM-ADL (p = .013), FAAM-Sport (p = .012), and posteromedial (p = .04) and posterolateral (p = .003) SEBT reach directions. No group main effect or time by group interaction was found. Four weeks of supervised rehabilitation improved self-reported function and dynamic balance in people with CAI.