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Interventions for increasing ankle joint dorsiflexion: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Rebekah Young1, Sheree Nix, Aaron Wholohan
1School of Clinical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane QLD 4059, Australia. l.reed@qut.edu.au.
Journal of Foot and Ankle Research
|November 15, 2013
Summary
Conservative interventions like stretching can improve ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) in healthy individuals. More research is needed for other non-surgical treatments to enhance ankle ROM.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Physical Therapy
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Ankle equinus, characterized by restricted dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), is associated with various clinical pathologies.
- Conservative interventions are frequently employed to address this condition in athletic and healthy populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of non-surgical interventions on ankle joint dorsiflexion ROM.
- To evaluate the efficacy of various conservative treatments in improving ankle mobility.
Main Methods:
- Searched Embase, Medline, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases for relevant studies.
- Included studies assessing non-surgical interventions on ankle dorsiflexion in healthy populations.
- Calculated standardized mean differences (SMDs) and pooled results where homogenous.
Main Results:
- Twenty-three studies with 734 participants were included.
- Static stretching alone and combined with ultrasound, diathermy, ice, heel raises, moist heat, or warm-up showed efficacy in improving dorsiflexion ROM.
- SMDs ranged from 0.65 to 1.69 for effective interventions.
Conclusions:
- Evidence supports the efficacy of stretching, alone or combined with other therapies, for increasing ankle ROM.
- A lack of high-quality evidence exists for other non-surgical interventions.
- Further research is warranted to explore alternative conservative treatments for ankle equinus.
