The effects of an ankle strengthening and proprioception exercise protocol on peak torque and joint position sense

Abstract Ankle sprains are the most common injury seen in athletics. Because of this, devices such as external ankle supports have been developed to protect the ankle joint and prevent injury. Exercise protocols have also been developed to increase strength and proprioception at the joint, which has been shown to reduce injury risk. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in joint position sense (JPS) and peak plantar flexion and dorsiflexion torque following a six week strength and proprioception exercise protocol, as well as compare these results to those of a control group wearing ankle braces. The study consisted of 20 college aged students who had previously sprained one of their ankles twice. The subjects were divided into two groups, with one group performing exercises three times per week for six weeks while the other group wore ankle braces during physical activity. Testing was performed before the beginning of the protocol, after three weeks, and after completion of the six week protocol. A 3-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed, with an alpha level of p = 0.05. This study found no significant changes in JPS following completion of the exercise group or compared to the brace group for the factors of time, group, and position (p = 0.57). There were significant improvements in peak plantar flexion (p = 0.014) and dorsiflexion (p = 0.033) torque for all subjects, but there was no significant difference between the two groups for either motion (p = 0.33, 0.349). Based on these results, the exercise protocol used in this study should not be used as a substitute for external ankle supports. However, more research should be done to determine if alterations to the exercise protocol can elicit significant results