Effects of Manual Therapy on Fascial Distortion Model in Adolescent Ankle Sprain: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed to assess the feasibility of investigating the effects of manual therapy on ankle functional muscle strength, static balance, and disability in adolescent patients with an ankle sprain.

METHODS

The study was a nonrandomized prepost clinical feasibility trial. From September 2021 to February 2022, 31 patients with ankle sprain received manual therapy. Functional muscle strength of plantar flexor muscles and static balance were evaluated using the standing heel-rise and unipedal stance tests on the injured and healthy legs before and after the first and second sessions. Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) assessed the disability at baseline, after the first and second sessions, in the third and sixth weeks.

RESULTS

Within-group analysis of the unipedal stance test with open and closed eyes and the standing heel-rise test showed that injured legs significantly improved after the first and second sessions, compared to uninjured legs ( < .05). Furthermore, there were significant differences among all repeated FADI measures ( < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that a study was feasible to measure ankle functional muscle strength, static balance, and disability in adolescent patients with an ankle sprain.