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The Effectiveness of Active Exercise as an Intervention for Functional Ankle Instability

A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Functional ankle instability (FAI) is a term used to describe an ankle that easily ‘gives way’ with activity. There have been many proposed causes of FAI including joint proprioceptive deficiency, muscle weakness, balance control impairments, and delayed muscle reaction time, none of which has proven to be the exclusive cause of FAI. Treatment becomes difficult when the causative factor of the injury is obscure. This systematic review evaluates the clinical trials involving conservative exercise interventions in FAI and examines the changes induced by the exercise treatments to the various potential FAI factors. Sixteen articles describing the active exercise treatment of FAI were analysed using Sackett’s levels of evidence and were examined for scientific rigor. From this review, it can be concluded that conservative treatment interventions including balance, proprioceptive and muscle strengthening exercises are effective for patients with FAI in decreasing the incidence of giving-way episodes, improving balance stability, and improving function.

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Acknowledgments

Dr Santos and Dr Franks were doctoral students in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the time this study was conducted. Dr Santos was supported during this project by a pre-doctoral fellowship from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico, Brazil (CNPQ no. 200874/004-4). The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the contents of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, 10121 Delmar Lane, Kansas City, Kansas, 66207, USA

    Janice K. Loudon, Leah Franks & Wen Liu

  2. University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Marcio J. Santos

Authors
  1. Janice K. Loudon
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  2. Marcio J. Santos
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  3. Leah Franks
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  4. Wen Liu
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Correspondence to Janice K. Loudon.

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Loudon, J.K., Santos, M.J., Franks, L. et al. The Effectiveness of Active Exercise as an Intervention for Functional Ankle Instability. Sports Med 38, 553–563 (2008). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838070-00003

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838070-00003

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