ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1615121
This article is part of the Research TopicLateral Ankle Sprain, Chronic Ankle Instability and Ankle Osteoarthritis: Unraveling Mechanisms and Exploring Management ApproachesView all 10 articles
Effects of Acupuncture Combined with Strength Training and Whole-Body Vibration Training on Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Provisionally accepted
- 1Bayi Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 2Sichuan Spors College, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 3Sichuan Sports College, Chengdu, China
- 4Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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Objective: This study aims to investigate the rehabilitative effects of adding whole-body vibration training (WBVT) on the ankle function, muscle strength, and balance ability of patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) based on strength training combined with acupuncture. Methods: A total of 49 university students with unilateral CAI was divided into an experimental group (strength training + acupuncture + WBVT, n = 25) and a control group (strength training + acupuncture, n = 24). The intervention lasted for 8 weeks (3 times per week). The evaluation indicators included cumberland ankle instability tool (CAIT), foot and ankle ability measure (FAAM), isokinetic muscle strength, proprioception, and balance ability.Results: 1) At the 8th week, intergroup comparison showed that the experimental group had higher FAAM-ADL (p = 0.043) and peak plantar flexion torque of the ankle (p = 0.020) than the control group. The anterior-posterior displacement (p = 0.002) and average speed (p = 0.046) were lower than those in the control group. 2) At the 8th week compared with baseline, within-group comparison showed that in the experimental group, CAIT, FAAM-ADL, and FAAM-Sport increased by 16.2, 36.2, and 37.8% respectively (p < 0.01). The peak torque of ankle dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, inversion, and eversion increased by 34.2, 19.4, 12.3, and 12.3% respectively (p < 0.05). The threshold of motion perception of ankle plantar flexion decreased by 15.1%. The anterior-posterior and medial-lateral displacements decreased by 22.2 and 17.5% respectively, and the average speed decreased by 31.2 and 13.8% respectively (p < 0.05). In the control group, FAAM-ADL and FAAM-Sport increased by 20.9 and 26.3% respectively (p < 0.01). The anterior-posterior and medial-lateral displacements decreased by 10.9 and 12.5% respectively, and the average speed decreased by 18.9 and 9.2% respectively (p < 0.05).Adding WBVT to strength training and acupuncture significantly improves ankle function, plantar flexion strength, and anterior-posterior balance in CAI patients, supporting its integration into comprehensive, non-surgical rehabilitation protocols.
Keywords: Chronic ankle instability, Acupuncture, strength training, Whole-body vibration training, Balance ability, Ankle rehabilitation
Received: 20 Apr 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, Chang and Heng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Liu Heng, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
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