Actively Recruiting
Effects of Ankle Evertor Fatigue on Gait Perturbation Responses in Individuals With and Without Chronic Ankle Instability
Led by University of Ljubljana · Updated on 2026-04-29
40
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
1 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Researchers are examining how fatigue in the ankle evertor muscles affects balance and muscle responses during treadmill walking when small sideways pushes are applied. The study focuses on people with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and healthy individuals. It aims to understand how ankle stabilization changes during walking with these mechanical challenges. Participants will walk on a treadmill at two speeds, 0.4 meters per second and 1.0 meters per second, with random sideways perturbations applied shortly after their foot touches the ground. Walking includes familiarization, unperturbed walking, and perturbed walking phases before and after muscle fatigue is induced. Fatigue is caused by repeated ankle eversion exercises using elastic bands until the muscle's range of motion decreases by half. During the study, muscle activity and walking stability will be measured using surface EMG and center of pressure data before and immediately after fatigue. Researchers will analyze step length, width, ground reaction forces, and perceived exertion. The entire process happens within a single session, assessing how fatigue impacts gait stability and neuromuscular control in both groups.
CONDITIONS
Brief Title
Effects of Ankle Evertor Fatigue on Perturbed Gait
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age between 18 and 45 years
- No history of injuries or surgical procedures to the lower limbs (healthy group)
- No peripheral or central neurological impairments
- Diagnosed chronic ankle instability with first sprain at least one year ago (CAI group)
- At least three months since the most recent ankle sprain (CAI group)
- Subjective feeling of ankle instability with CAIT score less than 24 (CAI group)
- No major surgical procedures on the lower limbs (CAI group)
You will not qualify if you...
- Other pathologies of the ankle joint
- Acute pain
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Your Study Journey
Duration - 2 to 4 weeks
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - Same day as fatigue protocol
Participants complete familiarization and baseline treadmill walking assessments with and without mechanical perturbations at two speeds.
1 visit (in-person)
Duration - Same day as baseline assessments
Participants perform repeated ankle eversion contractions to induce muscle fatigue, followed by perturbed treadmill walking at two speeds to assess gait stability and neuromuscular responses before and after fatigue.
1 visit (in-person)
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University Rehabilitation Institute Republic of Slovenia - URI Soča
Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1000
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
A
Alan Kacin, PhD, PT, Prof
T
Tjaž Brezovar
How is the study designed?
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Masking
N/A
Allocation
N/A
Model
N/A
Primary Purpose
N/A
Number of Arms
2
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