Effectiveness of a Therapeutic Exercise Protocol Vs a Mobilisation with Movement Protocol in Improving Ankle Dorsiflexion in Amateur Football Players

NCT06771089 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 205-2024-1
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 44
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Objective: To evaluate and compare the immediate and short-term effectiveness of a therapeutic exercise protocol and a mobilisation with movement protocol, compared with a control group, in improving ankle dorsiflexion in amateur footballers. Material and methods: A single-blind randomised controlled pilot study was developed. Participants were amateur football players randomized into 3 groups (therapeutic exercise, mobilization with movement and control). The intervention was carried out with 2 weekly sessions for 4 weeks. Assessment tools included the Ankle Lunge Test and the Single Leg Squat.

Conditions

Ankle Dorsiflexion

Keywords

Ankle dorsiflexion; Football; Therapeutic exercise; Mobilization with movement; Knee dynamic valgus

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Ankle dorsiflexion with Ankle Lunge Test (ALT) using the LegMOtion© device.

  ALT: ankle DF was measured in cm. The player stands with the foot to be assessed placed behind a black line on the device, while the other foot remains on the floor behind the tested foot. The player attempts to touch a metal rod with the knee without lifting the heel off the floor. The rod's position is adjusted to the maximum distance reached with difficulty. 3 repetitions were carried out and an average of the 3 repetitions was calculated to obtain the maximum ankle DF measurement. Both feet were measured.

  4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Dynamic knee valgus with the Single Leg Squat (SLS) test.

  4 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Manual therapy group (MTG)

EXPERIMENTAL

The MTG group received an intervention based on anterior-posterior mobilizations of the talus and fibula and taping, both based on Mulligan® techniques.

Other: Manual therapy and bandaging

Therapeutic exercise group (EG)

EXPERIMENTAL

The EG group underwent a therapeutic exercise protocol lasting approximately 5-10 minutes, performed before regular training sessions.

Other: Therapeutic exercise

Control group (CG)

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The CG group received no specific treatment; they only participated in the current training sessions.

Other: No specific treatment

Interventions

Manual therapy and bandaging OTHER

The MTG group received an intervention based on anterior-posterior mobilizations of the talus and fibula and taping, both based on Mulligan® techniques Individually, participants received Grade IV passive mobilizations lasting approximately 30 seconds, totalling 12 active mobilizations performed by the participant. Furthermore, a tape was applied, placed on the anterior part of the talus with a posterior and caudal direction, with its ends anchored near the heel. Due to its placement, this taping maintained a sustained posterior force on the talus throughout the training session. This intervention was conducted on the affected limb(s) with DF deficits.

Manual therapy group (MTG)

Therapeutic exercise OTHER

Therapeutic exercise protocol lasting approximately 5-10 minutes, performed before regular training sessions. It included 2 exercises, each performed in 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 1-minute rest intervals. Exercise 1: Weighted DF in a kneeling position. From this position, ankle DF is performed with the front leg, on which the weight of the arms and the torso is placed to force the movement. Exercise 2: Ankle lunge with band resistance at the ankle. The player performs ankle DF with a medium-resistance green Theraband® providing a posterior force vector on the talus. This intervention was applied to the affected limb(s) with ankle DF limitations and was supervised by a physiotherapist. It was performed before training session at each club's facilities.

Therapeutic exercise group (EG)

No specific treatment OTHER

The Control group received no specific treatment; they only participated in the current training sessions.

Control group (CG)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Football players over 18 years old who train a minimum of 3 days a week.
• Football players with ankle DF less than 9 cm or a difference greater than 1.5 cm between both feet, measured with the Ankle Lunge Test (ALT) using the LegMOtion© device.

You may not qualify if:

• Players who, during the ALT, achieve less than 9 cm or a difference greater than 1.5 cm between both feet but reporting limitation due to tension in the gastrocnemius muscle.
• Those with serious traumatic or rheumatological conditions that may interfere with the study.
• Players who have participated in specific programs to improve ankle DF in the last 3 months.
• Players with a history of ankle-foot surgery within the last 6 months.
• Non-registered players training in those clubs.
• Players unable to arrive 20 minutes prior to the beginning of the training session.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vigo: lead
• Iris Machado de Oliveira: collaborator
• Aldara Vázquez Méndez: collaborator
• Adrian Eiró Fernández: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Vigo

Pontevedra, Pontevedra, 36005, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Exercise Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Complementary Therapies; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2024
• First Posted: January 13, 2025
• Study Start: December 1, 2023
• Primary Completion: February 2, 2024
• Study Completion: March 2, 2024
• Last Updated: January 13, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-01

Locations

ES (1)