Impact of Nasm Corrective Exercises on Ankle Dorsiflexion Range of Motion and Navicular Drop in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Paper ID : 1136-SPORTCONGRESS

Authors

Fatemeh Akbari *, Sajjad Bagherian, Mohammad Rabiei, Banafsheh Mohamadi وزارت علوم و تحقیقات

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a prevalent and often long-standing condition among athletes, typically resulting from recurrent lateral ankle sprains (Bagherian et al., 2019; Kang et al., 2022). It is characterized by neuromuscular deficits, impaired proprioception, and altered biomechanics, including reduced ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM) and structural collapse of the medial longitudinal arch, commonly assessed via navicular drop (Fraser et al., 2020). This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week corrective exercise intervention based on the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) approach in improving dorsiflexion ROM and navicular drop in individuals with CAI. Methods: Thirty-five female athletes diagnosed with CAI were randomly assigned to either an intervention group, which followed a structured NASM-based corrective exercise protocol addressing muscle imbalances through inhibition, lengthening, activation, and integration phases, or a control group that received no intervention. Pre- and post-intervention measurements were collected using validated goniometric and anthropometric tools. Statistical comparisons were performed using independent-samples t-tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in dorsiflexion ROM, improving from 12.72 cm ± 2.82 at baseline to 15.11 cm ± 2.67 post-intervention (p = 0.000; effect size = 0.884), representing an approximate increase of 18.78%. In contrast, navicular drop values changed from 6.56 mm ± 3.80 to 5.94 mm ± 2.60, a difference that did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.500). Conclusion: These findings suggest that NASM corrective exercises can effectively enhance ankle mobility in athletes with CAI, potentially contributing to a reduction in injury risk. However, the lack of substantial improvement in foot posture metrics indicates that additional or complementary strategies may be necessary to correct structural foot alignment. Overall, this study highlights the importance of integrating evidence-based corrective approaches into rehabilitation programs targeting CAI

Keywords

Chronic Ankle Instability, Corrective Exercise, Dorsiflexion, Navicular Drop

Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation)