Auditory Biofeedback Gait Training Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · Mar 7, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new type of treatment called auditory biofeedback gait training to help people with chronic ankle instability (CAI). The goal is to see if this training can improve how people walk, reduce damage to the ankle joint, and lessen the feeling of ankle instability. Participants will take part in 12 training sessions over 6 weeks, which will involve activities like walking and running. They will also undergo tests before starting the training and again 6 and 12 months later to measure any changes.

To be eligible for the study, participants should be physically active adults who have had a history of ankle sprains and have experienced their ankle giving way at least twice in the past six months. They should also meet certain activity levels and answer specific questions about their ankle stability. It's important to note that people with recent ankle injuries, certain medical conditions, or those currently in a rehabilitation program will not be able to participate. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to gather valuable information that could lead to better treatments for ankle injuries in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Physically active adults (defined as participants reporting a score of =4 on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Activity Instrument and indicating they can run for at least 20 consecutive minutes)
• • History of ankle sprain
• • 2 episodes of "giving way" in the past 6-months
• • must answer "yes" to =5 questions on the Ankle Instability Instrument (AII) and =11 on the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • an ankle sprain in the previous four weeks or lower extremity neuromusculoskeletal injury other than to the ankle in the last 12 months
• • history of surgery in the lower extremity
• • fracture to the lower extremity in the past 12 months or a fracture that required open-reduction internal fixation
• • history of neurological disease, vestibular or visual disturbance or any other pathology that would impair sensorimotor performance or gait
• • current participation in a formal ankle joint rehabilitation program
• • a concussion in the last 12 months
• • report a cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease, or signs and symptoms that suggest such condition or have been told by a medical provider not to engage in vigorous physical activity (such as running).