Effects of Pilates Training on Ankle Proprioception, Postural Control and Performance in Footballers With Chronic Ankle Instability

NCT07266649 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: UBAS/ERB/FoRS/25/020
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 88
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study aims to contribute to the effects of Pilates training on ankle proprioception, postural control, and performance in football players with chronic ankle instability. Eighty eight participants will be randomly allocated into two groups and will receive both Pilates and balance training for eight weeks. it is hypothesized that the group that will receive Pilates taring will produce greater improvements as compared to other group.

Conditions

Proprioception, Postural Balance; Performance; Chronic Ankle Instability, CAI

Keywords

Chronic Ankle Instability; proprioception; Postural Control; Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Postural control

  The YBT has the patient stand on one leg while reaching out in 3 different directions with the other lower extremity. They are anterior, posteromedial and posterolateral. When using the Y-Balance test kit, the 3 reaches yield a "composite reach distance" or composite score used to predict injury.

  Base line before intervention after 8 weeks post intervention

• ankle proprioception

  The goniometer was used to measure the ankle proprioception. Testing was performed the way that the person would sit on a chair so that a 90-degree angle of thigh and knee was maintained, and the height of the chair was such that the soles of the individual could not reach the ground. Then the person's foot was positioned with the goniometer in such a way that the eyes of the person were closed. Then the individual foot was inactively taken to the midrange. This angle was 10 degrees for dorsiflexion, 20 degrees for plantar flexion, 15 degrees for inversion and 10 degrees for eversion. Afterwards, the person was asked to actively re-create the desired angle with his closed eye; the test was performed three times, and the mean of three times of the angle of reconstruction determined the individual's score in each of the state.

  Baseline: Before intervention 8 weeks post-intervention

• performance

  The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) is a self-report outcome instrument developed to assess physical function for individuals with foot and ankle related impairments. This self-report outcome instrument is available in English, German, French and Persian. The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure is a 29-item questionnaire divided into two subscales: The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure, 21-item Activities of Daily Living Subscale and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure, 8-item Sports Subscale. The Sports subscale assesses more difficult tasks that are essential to sport, it is a population-specific subscale designed for athletes.

  base line before intervention and 8 weeks post intervention

Study Arms (2)

Group A

EXPERIMENTAL

Pilates training group

Other: Pilates exercises

Group B

EXPERIMENTAL

Balance training group

Other: Balance exercises

Interventions

Pilates exercises OTHER

Duration: 8 weeks (3 sessions/week) Session Duration: 60 minutes per session Equipment Used: Yoga mat, resistance bands, Pilates ring, small stability ball, foam roller. Structure of Each Session: Phase Time Activities Warm-Up 10 min Gentle dynamic stretches and mobility exercises (e.g., neck rolls, shoulder circles, hip openers, ankle circles) Core Pilates Training 40 min - Beginner-Intermediate Mat Pilates targeting core, hips, gluts, and lower leg muscles - Sample Exercises: - Pelvic tilts - Hundred - Single-leg stretch - Shoulder bridge with ankle engagement - Side-lying leg circles - Toe taps and leg lifts with ankle focus Cool Down 10 min Static stretching, deep breathing, and relaxation techniques Progression: Exercises will be progressed weekly by: * Increasing repetitions and sets * Reducing support (e.g., double leg to single leg) * Incorporating dynamic and unstable surfaces (foam pads, balance discs)

Group A

Balance exercises OTHER

Group B: Control Group Duration: 8 weeks (3 sessions/week) Session Duration: 60 minutes per session Equipment Used: Balance board, wobble disc, cones, foam pads, resistance bands. Structure of Each Session: Phase Time Activities Warm-Up 10 min Light jogging, ankle mobility drills, dynamic stretching Balance Training 40 min - Static and Dynamic Balance Drills: - Single-leg stance (eyes open/closed) - Wobble board balancing - Star excursion balance test practice - Tandem walking on a line - Forward/backward hops on one leg - Cone drills with reach tasks and steps up Cool Down 10 min Ankle and lower limb stretching, breathing techniques Progression: * Decrease base of support * Introduce perturbations (e.g., partner tapping) * Dual-task activities (catching, counting, etc.)

Group B

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 22 Years - 35 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: Males
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male footballers aged 22-35
• History of unilateral ankle sprain in past 12 months
• Inability to bear weight post-injury
• CAIT score \< 24
• Minimum of 1-year experience in football

You may not qualify if:

• Bilateral ankle sprains
• Lower limb fractures or surgeries
• Neurological conditions (e.g., MS, CMT, Stroke)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences: lead

Related Publications (4)

• Ghorbani M, Yaali R, Sadeghi H, Granacher U. Effects of Pilates Exercise Training on Static Balance and Lower Limbs Proprioception in Adult Females With and Without Flexible Flatfeet. Foot Ankle Spec. 2026 Apr;19(2):196-205. doi: 10.1177/19386400241279930. Epub 2024 Sep 26.

  PMID: 39324770 BACKGROUND

• Zhang C, Chen N, Wang J, Zhang Z, Jiang C, Chen Z, Fang J, Peng J, Li W, Song B. The Prevalence and Characteristics of Chronic Ankle Instability in Elite Athletes of Different Sports: A Cross-Sectional Study. J Clin Med. 2022 Dec 16;11(24):7478. doi: 10.3390/jcm11247478.

  PMID: 36556094 BACKGROUND

• Alghadir AH, Iqbal ZA, Iqbal A, Ahmed H, Ramteke SU. Effect of Chronic Ankle Sprain on Pain, Range of Motion, Proprioception, and Balance among Athletes. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 23;17(15):5318. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17155318.

  PMID: 32718066 BACKGROUND

• Ziaei Ziabari E, Haghpanahi M, Razi M, Lubberts B, Ashkani-Esfahani S, DiGiovanni CW. The Effects of Chronic Ankle Instability on the Biomechanics of the Uninjured, Contralateral Ankle During Gait. Orthop Surg. 2022 Sep;14(9):2238-2244. doi: 10.1111/os.13307. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

  PMID: 35852096 BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Related Info

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Exercise Movement Techniques

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Physical Therapy Modalities; Therapeutics

Study Officials

• Muhammad Tariq Shafi

  Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Rabia Shaheen

CONTACT

+923201451094; rabiameer488@gmail.com

Muhammad Tariq Shafi

CONTACT

+923454190056; muhammadtariq@ubas.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Due to the nature of the intervention, the blinding of participants and therapist was not feasible. To overcome the assessment bias, the outcome assessor remained blinded to group allocations, maintain single blinded study design
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 24, 2025
• First Posted: December 5, 2025
• Study Start: November 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 25, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 30, 2026
• Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share