Article

Ankle sprains are a common sports injury. The literature focuses on the
application of neuromuscular training for the improvement of balance, injury
prevention and rehabilitation. However, there is a dearth of knowledge about the
appropriate prescription of exercises using unstable platforms and surfaces. The
purpose of this study was to devise an ankle rehabilitation or training program
with exercise progression based on the extent of muscle activation, employing
platforms with different levels of stability and additional resistance. A
descriptive study of electromyography (EMG) during ankle exercises was performed
with a convenience sample of healthy subjects. Forty-four subjects completed 12
exercises performed in a random order. Exercises were performed unipedally or
bipedally with or without elastic tubing as resistance on various unstable
(uncontrolled multiaxial and uniaxial movement) and stable surfaces. Surface EMG
from the tibialis anterior (TA), peroneus longus (PL) and soleus (SOL) were
collected to quantify the amount of muscle activity. Significant differences were
found between exercise conditions for PL (p<.001), TA (p=.011), and SOL (p<.001).
The greatest EMG activity for all muscles occurred with an upright unipedal
stance on a soft stability surface with resistance. The least EMG activity for
the TA and SOL were in a seated position and for the PL in an erect bipedal
position without resistance. Based on the level of ankle muscle activation,
exercises for the ankle should progress from bilateral exercises on exercise
balls (lowest intensity), to a unipedal position on a soft surface in combination
with elastic tubing (highest intensity) in order to achieve progressively greater
ankle muscle activation.
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Langue : ANGLAIS