ORIGINAL ARTICLE  SPORT INJURIES AND REHABILITATION 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2019 July;59(7):1200-5

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09405-2

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effects of therapeutic exercise on sea sand on pain, fatigue, and balance in patients with chronic ankle instability: a feasibility study

Ho-Jin SHIN ¹, Sung-Hyeon KIM ¹, Eun-Tae JEON ¹, Min-Goo LEE ², Sung-Jae LEE ³, Hwi-Young CHO ⁴ ✉

¹ Department of Health Science, Gachon University Graduate School, Incheon, South Korea; ² Department of Physiology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; ³ Department of Integrative Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; ⁴ Department of Physical Therapy, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea

BACKGROUND: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a common disease following ankle sprain and appears balance and gait problems, pain, and fatigue. This study aimed to examine the effect of therapeutic exercise performed on sea sand on pain, fatigue, and balance ability in patients with CAI.
METHODS: This study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. Subjects with a Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) score of less than 27 were selected. 22 subjects were randomly assigned to the sea sand (SS) group (N.=11) or the self-management (SM) group (N.=11). The SS group performed the therapeutic exercise on sea sand and the SM group conducted the exercises on a firm surface at home 5 times over the course of a week. To measure static balance, center of pressure (COP) of one-leg standing on the force plate was assessed. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to measure pain and fatigue.
RESULTS: The SS group showed statistically significant improvements in all static balance outcomes (COP-area, COP-average velocity, minor-axis, major-axis) after the intervention (P<0.05), while the SM group did not show a significant change in all static balance parameters (P>0.05). Also, the SS group showed statistically significant improvements in pain and fatigue (P<0.05). All outcomes except major axis showed statistically significant differences between SS group and SM group at change value (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Therapeutic exercise on sea sand effectively improved balance and decreased pain and fatigue. Thus, it can be considered a rehabilitation method for CAI patients.

KEY WORDS: Motor activity; Exercise therapy; Visual Analogue Scale