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

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Ankle Dorsiflexion

• Registration Number: NCT06771089
• Lead Sponsor: University of Vigo

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.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2023-12-01
• Primary Completion: 2024-02-02
• Study Completion: 2024-03-02
• Study First Submitted: 2024-12-30
• Status Verified: 2025-01
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-01-07
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-01-07
• Study First Posted: 2025-01-13
• Last Update Posted: 2025-01-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 44

Inclusion Criteria

• 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.

Exclusion Criteria

• 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.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Ankle dorsiflexion with Ankle Lunge Test (ALT) using the LegMOtion© device.	4 weeks	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.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Dynamic knee valgus with the Single Leg Squat (SLS) test.	4 weeks	SLS: The participant, barefoot on a firm, flat surface, first performed 2 practice SLS repetitions unmeasured., then 2 consecutive sets of 5 repetitions were evaluated and the worst set was chosen for analysis., allowing for speed and compensation adjustments as fatigue developed. Each limb was tested. The examiner, positioned directly in front of the participant, recorded the activity with a mobile device. Movement execution was analysed using the Kinovea© software, with analysis focused on measuring the Q angle for each repetition, selecting the largest angle from the 5 executions for analysis.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Vigo; 🇪🇸 Pontevedra, Spain