ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT03507803Updated May 16, 2018

Effects of Gait Biofeedback and Impairment-based Rehabilitation in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

A Phase 3 interventional study of Gait Biofeedback in Ankle Sprains and Ankle Injuries, sponsored by University of Virginia. Status unknown at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 30 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-05-16.

Sponsored by University of Virginia · Phase 3, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified May 2018), so the status shown — last known as Recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 30 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) have demonstrated altered gait patterns. Gait training may be necessary to address these alterations as protocols focusing solely on strength or balance have not been shown to impact walking gait. Biofeedback about the foot position during walking may help improve gait biomechanics. The purpose is to determine whether a 4-week rehabilitation program that includes biofeedback has beneficial effects on self-reported function and ankle gait kinematics compared to rehabilitation alone in people with CAI. The design is a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Participants will complete baseline self-reported function questionnaires and walking gait trials and then be randomized to complete 4- weeks of supervised rehabilitation with or without audiovisual biofeedback. Follow up emails will ask for participant information about ankle health and to complete questionnaires about their ankle for 6 months and 12 months after completing rehabilitation.

Read the detailed description

This study will require 10 visits for all participants. Both groups will participate in baseline and follow-up gait assessments involving walking on a treadmill at 1.34 m/s. Follow-up visits will be conducted within 72 hours of the participant's final rehabilitation session. Using a rigid cluster marker setup, reflective markers will be placed on the upper back, sacrum, and bilaterally on the thigh, shank, rearfoot, and forefoot. A 5-minute familiarization period will be completed to ensure participants are comfortable and walking as normally as possible. Following the familiarization period, 1-minute of continuous gait data will be collected. The data collected during baseline and follow-up gait assessments will be used to analyze the primary and secondary outcome measures for kinematics. Participants will also complete the patient reported outcomes (FAAM ADL \& Sport Subscale) at the baseline and follow-up visits.

Impairment-based Rehabilitation:

Four weeks of supervised rehabilitation (8 sessions) will be provided to both groups. This rehabilitation paradigm has been previously reported by Donovan and Hertel. Impairment-based rehabilitation involves identifying and treating deficits in 4 broad domains including range of motion (ROM), strength, balance, and functional exercises by using an "asses, treat, re-assess" approach. Previously reported intervention methods will be used in this study. The clinician administering the rehabilitation will be blinded to the subjects' intervention group status.

Intervention:

Gait training using visual feedback for frontal plane ankle position at initial contact (IC) will be projected onto a screen in front of the treadmill.

Gait Training Protocol:

The goal of this protocol is to improve the position of the ankle at IC using visual feedback gait training over the course of 4 weeks. The intervention group will participate in 2 sessions of gait training per week for 4 weeks using intermittent feedback described by Noehren et al. The Motion Monitor is a software system uses body movements to provide visual feedback to the participant by using information from retroreflective markers on the body that are captured by the cameras. The software will use the position of the rearfoot marker cluster in relation to the shank marker cluster to determine the rearfoot inversion angle at IC and provide visual biofeedback information for the next step. Visual feedback in the shape of a line will be displayed as an image projected onto a screen in front of the treadmill representing frontal plane inversion angle. The line will adjust (similar to a teeter-totter) according to the position of the foot and will change color accordingly. When the ankle position is too inverted, the line will turn red and an audio tone will be heard by the participant. When the ankle position is in a good position, the line will turn green and the tone will not be heard.

02

Conditions studied

  • Ankle Sprains
  • Ankle Injuries

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • Gait training
  • Walking
03

In context

Ankle Injuries

362 studies on the registry are indexed under Ankle Injuries; 72 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 281 interventional studies indexed under Ankle Injuries.

Browse Ankle Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Virginia is the lead sponsor of 673 studies on the registry; 139 are open to participants now.

Of its 60 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 41 (68%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 30 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • >1 Ankle Sprain (>12 months prior)
  • Physically active (>1.5 hr/week)
  • > 10 on Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI)
  • \< 90 Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
  • \< 85 FAAM Sport

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hx of LE fracture
  • Hx of LE surgery
  • Hx of ankle sprain within last 6 weeks
  • Participating in physical therapy for ankle
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Marfan's Syndrome
  • Lumbosacral Radiculopathy
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Pregnant (self-reported)
  • Unable to provide informed consent
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Care provider)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Gait Biofeedback

    This group will receive audiovisual feedback about the position of their foot during walking. Feedback will be provided over 8 total sessions.

    Other: Gait Biofeedback

  • No intervention
    Control

    This arm will not receive any audiovisual feedback about the position of their foot during walking.

Interventions

  • OtherGait Biofeedback

    Feedback will appear on screen in front of participants during walking. If their foot is too inverted (determined by researcher) the object on the screen will turn red and an audio tone will be heard. If the participant corrects the foot position, the object will turn green and the audio tone will not be heard.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline Ankle Frontal Plane Angle During Gait

    Ankle frontal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from Baseline Ankle Sagittal Plane Angle During Gait

    Ankle sagittal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  2. Change from Baseline Ankle Transverse Plane Angle During Gait

    Ankle transverse plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  3. Change from Baseline Hip Frontal Plane Angle During Gait

    Hip frontal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  4. Change from Baseline Hip Sagittal Plane Angle During Gait

    Hip sagittal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  5. Change from Baseline Hip Transverse Plane Angle During Gait

    Hip transverse plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  6. Change from Baseline Knee Frontal Plane Angle During Gait

    Knee frontal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  7. Change from Baseline Knee Sagittal Plane Angle During Gait

    Knee sagittal plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  8. Change from Baseline Knee Transverse Plane Angle During Gait

    Knee transverse plane angle will be assessed throughout the gait cycle using ensemble curves analysis.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  9. Change from Baseline Range of motion

    Ankle range of motion will be assessed using a plastic goniometer

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  10. Change from Baseline Balance

    Single limb balance with eyes open and eye closed conditions will be assessed using a Tekscan pressure mat

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  11. Change from Baseline Strength

    Ankle and hip strength will be assessed using a handheld dynamometer in N

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  12. Change from Baseline Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM)

    The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) for Activities of Daily Living total score will be assessed. The score will be assessed as a percentage. Scores closer to 100% indicate full ankle function. Lower percentage scores indicate ankle dysfunction.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  13. Change from Baseline Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Sport

    The Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Sport total score will be assessed. The score will be assessed as a percentage. Scores closer to 100% indicate full ankle function. Lower percentage scores indicate ankle dysfunction.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  14. Change from Baseline Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI)

    The Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) total score will be assessed. Raw scores will be assessed. Higher scores indicate more ankle dysfunction. Lower scores indicate better ankle function.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  15. Change from Baseline International Physical Activity Questionnaire

    The International Physical Activity Questionnaire total score will be assessed. Higher scores represent increased physical activity.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  16. Change from Baseline Tampa Scale if Kinesiophobia (TSK)

    The Tampa Scale if Kinesiophobia (TSK) total score will be assessed. Lower scores indicate less kinesiophobia. Higher scores indicate higher amount of kinesiophobia.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  17. Change from Baseline Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

    The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) total score will be assessed. The range will be from 0 to 100. Higher score indicates worse ankle pain. Lower score indicates better ankle pain.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

  18. The Global Rating of Change (GROC) Score

    The Global Rating of Change (GROC) score will be assessed at the follow-up visit. A positive and higher score indicates the patient feels better than they did when they began the study. A score of 0 indicates no change from baseline. A negative and lower score indicates the patient feels worse than they did when they began the study.

    Time frame: 4 weeks

  19. Change from Baseline Physical Activity

    Fitbit Charge HR monitors will be worn by all participants for 4 weeks. Average daily steps will be analyzed.

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Waterman BR, Owens BD, Davey S, Zacchilli MA, Belmont PJ Jr. The epidemiology of ankle sprains in the United States. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2010 Oct 6;92(13):2279-84. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.I.01537. PubMed 20926721 ↗
  • Delahunt E, Coughlan GF, Caulfield B, Nightingale EJ, Lin CW, Hiller CE. Inclusion criteria when investigating insufficiencies in chronic ankle instability. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 Nov;42(11):2106-21. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181de7a8a. PubMed 20351590 ↗
  • Mok KM, Fong DT, Krosshaug T, Engebretsen L, Hung AS, Yung PS, Chan KM. Kinematics analysis of ankle inversion ligamentous sprain injuries in sports: 2 cases during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Am J Sports Med. 2011 Jul;39(7):1548-52. doi: 10.1177/0363546511399384. Epub 2011 Apr 1. No abstract available. PubMed 21460069 ↗
  • Fong DT, Ha SC, Mok KM, Chan CW, Chan KM. Kinematics analysis of ankle inversion ligamentous sprain injuries in sports: five cases from televised tennis competitions. Am J Sports Med. 2012 Nov;40(11):2627-32. doi: 10.1177/0363546512458259. Epub 2012 Sep 11. PubMed 22967824 ↗
  • Bonnel F, Toullec E, Mabit C, Tourne Y; Sofcot. Chronic ankle instability: biomechanics and pathomechanics of ligaments injury and associated lesions. Orthop Traumatol Surg Res. 2010 Jun;96(4):424-32. doi: 10.1016/j.otsr.2010.04.003. Epub 2010 May 20. PubMed 20493797 ↗
  • Chinn L, Dicharry J, Hertel J. Ankle kinematics of individuals with chronic ankle instability while walking and jogging on a treadmill in shoes. Phys Ther Sport. 2013 Nov;14(4):232-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2012.10.001. Epub 2013 Apr 25. PubMed 23623243 ↗
  • Doherty C, Bleakley C, Hertel J, Caulfield B, Ryan J, Delahunt E. Recovery From a First-Time Lateral Ankle Sprain and the Predictors of Chronic Ankle Instability: A Prospective Cohort Analysis. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Apr;44(4):995-1003. doi: 10.1177/0363546516628870. Epub 2016 Feb 24. PubMed 26912285 ↗
  • Donovan L, Hart JM, Saliba SA, Park J, Feger MA, Herb CC, Hertel J. Rehabilitation for Chronic Ankle Instability With or Without Destabilization Devices: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Athl Train. 2016 Mar;51(3):233-51. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-51.3.09. Epub 2016 Mar 2. PubMed 26934211 ↗
  • Donovan L, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Feger MA, Herb CC, Hertel J. Effects of ankle destabilization devices and rehabilitation on gait biomechanics in chronic ankle instability patients: A randomized controlled trial. Phys Ther Sport. 2016 Sep;21:46-56. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.02.006. Epub 2016 Feb 27. PubMed 27428534 ↗
  • Donovan L, Hertel J. A new paradigm for rehabilitation of patients with chronic ankle instability. Phys Sportsmed. 2012 Nov;40(4):41-51. doi: 10.3810/psm.2012.11.1987. PubMed 23306414 ↗
  • Feger MA, Hertel J. Surface electromyography and plantar pressure changes with novel gait training device in participants with chronic ankle instability. Clin Biomech (Bristol). 2016 Aug;37:117-124. doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2016.07.002. Epub 2016 Jul 7. PubMed 27423026 ↗
  • Donovan L, Feger MA, Hart JM, Saliba S, Park J, Hertel J. Effects of an auditory biofeedback device on plantar pressure in patients with chronic ankle instability. Gait Posture. 2016 Feb;44:29-36. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2015.10.013. Epub 2015 Oct 27. PubMed 27004629 ↗
  • Koldenhoven RM, Feger MA, Fraser JJ, Saliba S, Hertel J. Surface electromyography and plantar pressure during walking in young adults with chronic ankle instability. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2016 Apr;24(4):1060-70. doi: 10.1007/s00167-016-4015-3. Epub 2016 Feb 8. PubMed 26856315 ↗
  • Doherty C, Bleakley C, Hertel J, Caulfield B, Ryan J, Delahunt E. Locomotive biomechanics in persons with chronic ankle instability and lateral ankle sprain copers. J Sci Med Sport. 2016 Jul;19(7):524-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2015.07.010. Epub 2015 Jul 10. PubMed 26296816 ↗
  • Noehren B, Scholz J, Davis I. The effect of real-time gait retraining on hip kinematics, pain and function in subjects with patellofemoral pain syndrome. Br J Sports Med. 2011 Jul;45(9):691-6. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.069112. Epub 2010 Jun 28. PubMed 20584755 ↗
  • McKeon PO, Paolini G, Ingersoll CD, Kerrigan DC, Saliba EN, Bennett BC, Hertel J. Effects of balance training on gait parameters in patients with chronic ankle instability: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2009 Jul;23(7):609-21. doi: 10.1177/0269215509102954. Epub 2009 May 15. PubMed 19447844 ↗
  • Davis IS, Futrell E. Gait Retraining: Altering the Fingerprint of Gait. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2016 Feb;27(1):339-55. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2015.09.002. PubMed 26616188 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Feb 2018 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Mar 2019, 13 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Feb 15, 2018
First posted
Apr 25, 2018
StartActual
Feb 15, 2018
Primary completionEst.
Mar 2019
CompletionEst.
Mar 2020
Last update
May 16, 2018
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 16, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03507803
Responsible party
Jay Hertel, PhD, ATC (Principal Investigator, University of Virginia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 25, 2018
Start date
Feb 15, 2018
Primary completion
Mar 2019 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2020 (estimated)
Last update
May 16, 2018

Study contacts

Rachel M Koldenhoven, MEd
Contact
rmk7ye@virginia.edu
434-924-6184
Jay N Hertel, PhD
principal investigator · University of Virginia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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