Impact of Combined Muscle Strength and Proprioceptive Exercises on Functional Ankle Instability

The purpose of this study was to implement a program of combined muscle stregth and proprioceptive exercises and to examine the impacts of these exercises on functional ankle instability(FAI). Experiments were conducted with 30 adult males and females in their 20s, and the exercise programs were implemented three days per week for four weeks. FAI was defined as a feeling of giving way after an ankle sprain and having a Cumberland ankle instability tool score of 24 points or less. The study subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group, a muscle-strengthening exercise group, or a combined muscle-strengthening and proprioceptive exercise group consisting of 10 subjects each. A Biodex isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess the subjects'ankle strength at selected speeds of $60^{\circ}/sec$ and $120^{\circ}/sec$. The peak torque % body weight showed significant differences in plantar flexion, dorsiflexion, inversion, and eversion. There were also significant differences in proprioception. The results suggest that applying combined muscle-strength and proprioceptive exercises to subjects with FAI is a more effective intervention than applying only muscle-strengthening exercises.