Ankle Injuries, Imaging and Prevention Program Effectiveness in New Army Recruits

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Ankle Sprains
• Interventions: Other: excercises

• Registration Number: NCT06469099
• Lead Sponsor: University of Haifa

Brief Summary

Infantry recruits will undergo a musculoskeletal examination to assess tendon, muscle, proprioception, agility, and joint status. Afterward, an exercise intervention program will be implemented, followed by a concluding evaluation.

Detailed Description

Purpose: To evaluate ankle injuries in new infantry recruits, including their characteristics, association with imaging and functional measures, and the effectiveness of a preventive exercise program.

Methods: 650 new male infantry soldiers aged 18-23 will be recruited to participate in the study at the beginning of their military training. At the beginning and the end of the training (after approximately six months), the soldiers will be assessed for the following: 1. Demographics (height, weight, leg length, BMI calculation), 2. Proprioception ability (Active Movement Extent Discrimination Apparatus AMEDA), 3. Dynamic balance (Y-Balance Test YBT), 4. Leg muscle strength (bilateral heel rise test), 5. Hip strength (hand-held dynamometer), 6. Ankle agility (hexagon agility hop test), 7. Ankle stability (Anterior Drawer Test, musculoskeletal ultrasound for the Anterior Talofibular Ligament), 8. Achilles tendon structure (Ultrasound tissue Characterization UTC), 9. Aerobic ability (3000 meters run, will be recorded by the fitness instructors at the training base). In addition, the soldiers will fill out a previous ankle sprains questionnaire, pre-induction physical activity questionnaire, the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) for ankle perceived instability, and the Ankle Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (ankle-FABQ).

The soldiers will perform a constructed ankle sprain prevention program for five minutes every day during the six-month length of the study. Every 1-2 weeks, the researcher will arrive at the training base to monitor ankle injuries. Those who are diagnosed with a sprain will undergo ultrasound evaluations, which will be performed every few weeks.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-03-15
• Status Verified: 2024-06
• Study First Submitted: 2024-06-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-06-16
• Study First Posted: 2024-06-21
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-06-22
• Last Update Posted: 2024-06-25
• Primary Completion: 2026-09-15
• Study Completion: 2026-09-15

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 700

Inclusion Criteria

• soldiers ages 18-22

Exclusion Criteria

• knows disease of the bones
• before orthopedic surgery

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
research group	excercises	active exercises for few weeks

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hip muscle strength	baseline, end of intervention	hand held dynamometer
Ankle stability	baseline, end of intervention	Anterior Drawer Test, musculoskeletal ultrasound for the Anterior Talofibular Ligament
Achilles tendon structure	baseline, end of intervention	Ultrasound tissue Characterization for the percentage of fibers types
Proprioception ability	baseline, end of intervention	Active Movement Extent Discrimination Apparatus AMEDA
balance	baseline, end of intervention	Y balance test
Leg muscle strength	baseline, end of intervention	bilateral heel rise test
Ankle agility	baseline, end of intervention	hexagon agility hop test

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Academic college Levinsky-Wingate at the Wingate Institute; 🇮🇱 Netanya, Israel