Evaluating Immediate Effects of Graded Motor Imagery on Ankle Rehabilitation for Adults with Chronic Ankle Instability

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the immediate and short-term effects of the Graded Motor Imagery GMI method on people with chronic ankle instability CAI. This study aims to understand how GMI influences pain levels, muscle stiffness, muscle strength, functional performance, and the feeling of ankle instability. The effects of this intervention will be compared with a control group of healthy individuals matched by age and sex. The GMI program involves six consecutive days of training with three progressive stages Laterality Training, where participants perform ankle discrimination tasks using images Motor Imagery, where they mentally rehearse ankle movements without actual motion and Mirror Therapy, using a mirror to create a visual illusion of normal movement of the unaffected ankle. These stages are designed to improve motor control and proprioception. Participants will undergo assessments at the start and one week after the intervention to measure subjective instability using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool CAIT, ground reaction force and static balance via ForceDecks, muscle stiffness with Myoton PRO, muscle strength using an isokinetic dynamometer, pain levels, and functional performance. The study includes safety monitoring and comparison between the ankle instability group and healthy controls, with the total participation duration covering the intervention and follow-up assessments.

Acute Effect of Graded Motor Imagery on Ankle Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study