A critical appraisal of ankle rehabilitative interventions

Introduction Lateral ankle sprain is a common musculoskeletal pathology. Functional exercise progression is vital to restore full function. Aim The aim of this study was to compare the electromyographical response to a standard balance task on one stable and four unstable surfaces. Participants Twenty subjects (5 male, 15 females; age at 23 ± 7.1 years) were recruited to participate in the study. Methods A gym-based single session cross over design was used to compare peak and mean surface EMG (sEMG) activity of the Peroneus Longus, Tibilais Anterior and medial head of the gastrocnemius muscles whilst performing a standardized balance task on one stable surface and four unstable surfaces stable surface. Results A significant main effect for surface was found. Post-hoc testing revealed that the Floor and Trampoline (Trampet) elicited similar mean sEMG response. Discussion The results of the study propose a safe and stepwise progressive rehabilitation regime following ankle injury whilst considering the healing process of the injured structure.