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Immediate Effects of Manual Therapy Techniques on Ankle Dorsiflexion: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Matheus de Castro Silva1, Arthur de Sá Ferreira2, Rodrigo de Marche Baldon3
1Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of combined techniques on ROM, performance, and dynamic postural balance in young adults.
Methods:
Sixty participants were recruited, with a mean age of 25.35 (±8.00) years and ankle dorsiflexion ROM below 40° in closed kinetic chain (CKC). The participants were randomly divided into 2 groups: Joint mobilization based on the Mulligan Concept (Group 1); Joint mobilization based on the Mulligan Concept, together with the Maitland Method (Group 2). The participants were evaluated preintervention (A0), immediately after the intervention (A1), and 3 to 4 days after the intervention (A2).
Primary Outcome:
DF ROM in CKC.
Secondary Outcomes:
ROM in open kinetic chain, performance, and balance.
Results:
Group 2 presented superior performance in the Triple Hop Test in evaluations A1 (Cohen's d = 1.45) and A2 (Cohen's d = 1.21), and after the intervention (A2) showed greater displacement (Cohen's d = 3.22) in the Y Balance Test. Both groups showed increases of DF ROM in CKC and performance.
Conclusions:
The combination of joint mobilization techniques can provide additional benefits in functional performance. Both techniques are effective for increasing ankle DF ROM.
