Investigating the Effects of Intrinsic Foot Muscle Exercises on Dynamic Balance after Sub-Acute Ankle Sprain

Introduction: This study compares the efficacy of routine treatment plus short foot exercises (SFE) with routine treatment alone on dynamic balance and pain in subjects with sub-acute ankle sprain. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 patients (18-45 years old) with primary ankle sprain were randomly enrolled into the control group performing routine treatment alone or the SFE group performing routine treatment plus SFE. The dynamic balance was assessed using the star excursion balance test. Pain and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion were assessed using the numeric pain rating scale and a goniometer. The outcomes were evaluated at the baseline and after the end of treatment. The groups were compared using the one-way analysis of variance/analysis of covariance test. The effect sizes also were calculated to determine the efficacy of the SFE. Results: Dynamic balance in the SFE group had a significant increase in the anterior, lateral, medial, and anteromedial directions compared to the control group (P=0.001, P=0.002, P=0.014, P=0.0001). No significant differences were observed between the groups in other directions of the star excursion balance test (P 0.05). Additionally, pain intensity was lower significantly in the SFE group than in the control group (P=0.0001). In the SFE group ankle dorsiflexion range was significantly more than the control group (P=0.025). The effect sizes also showed a high efficacy favoring SFE. Conclusion: The combination of routine treatment and SFE can be an effective intervention for managing ankle sprain.