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THE EFFECT OF A SPECIALIZED YOGA INTERVENTION ON CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNCTIONAL ANKLE INSTABILITY

Abstract

Dave P. Heller1,2, Megan Maienschein1, Wen Liu2

1Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO; 2University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is the most common injury in active individuals. Up to 70% of those experiencing LAS develop ankle instability. Functional ankle instability (FAI) is defined by recurrent sprains, the ankle “giving way,” and subjective feelings of ankle instability. Successful interventions for people with FAI involve training single leg balance and ankle dorsiflexion. Yoga is an exercise modality that includes poses stressing single leg balance and ankle dorsiflexion. A specialized yoga intervention emphasizing these poses could potentially attenuate negative characteristics associated with FAI. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of a 6-week, bi-weekly, specialized yoga intervention on perceived ankle instability, static postural stability, and ankle proprioception in people with FAI compared to a control group. METHODS: 20 participants with FAI were randomly allocated into an intervention yoga group (INT, n=10) and a control yoga group (CON, n=10). Each group performed 45 minutes of yoga twice a week for 6 weeks. The INT yoga consisted of poses emphasizing single leg balance and ankle dorsiflexion. The CON yoga poses were performed seated, supine, or prone. Pre- and post-tests included measures of perceived ankle instability (the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool- CAIT), static postural stability during single leg stance (time in balance, TiB, and number of foot lifts, NFL), and ankle proprioception (active joint position sense error- JPSE) in the frontal and sagittal planes. RESULTS: The INT yoga group improved their perceived ankle instability by improving their CAIT scores by +3.6 + 5.5 points compared to no change in the CON yoga group (-0.4 + 3.81, p = 0.07). The INT yoga group improved ankle proprioception vs. CON by significantly decreasing plantarflexion JPSE (INT Pre: 3.4° + 2.0°, INT Post: 2.0° + 1.5° vs. CON Pre: 3.0° + 1.7°, CON Post: 4.3° + 2.0°, p = 0.04). TiB improved significantly for INT vs. CON (INT Pre: 30.0 + 11.7s, INT Post: 38.7 + 15.6s vs. CON Pre: 33.4 + 13.0s, Con Post: 39.1 + 9.8s, p = 0.005). NFL improved significantly for INT vs. CON (INT Pre: 17.1 + 5.3, INT Post: 12.3 + 5.2 vs. CON Pre: 13.9 + 5.5, Con Post: 12.9 + 6.0, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A 6-week, bi-weekly yoga intervention emphasizing single leg balance and ankle dorsiflexion could attenuate negative characteristics associated with FAI.

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