The Effect of Capacitive and Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy in Functional Ankle Instability Patients
Condition: Functional Ankle Instability; Capacitive and Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy
MeSH terms: Joint Instability
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the applicability and effectiveness of
      capacitive and resistive Electric transfer (CRET) therapy in combination with traditional
      functional training in improving ankle function, proprioception, and balance in patients with
      functional ankle instability (FAI). The main questions it aims to answer are:

        -  Can CRET therapy expedite the rehabilitation process for patients with functional ankle
           instability?

        -  Does the combination of CRET therapy and functional exercises yield superior efficacy to
           other interventions?

      The study included 45 participants (27 males and 18 females) with unilateral ankle
      instability who regularly engaged in physical activity. The participants were randomly
      assigned to one of four groups: a control group, a functional training group (Group F), a
      physiotherapy group (Group C), and a functional physiotherapy + functional training group
      (Group C+F). The control group did not receive any intervention to ensure comparability
      between groups, while the F and C+F groups performed the same movements. The C and C+F groups
      were standardized to use the capacitive mode first, followed by the resistive mode.
    

Detailed description: 
      The 45 participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: 10 to the control group, 12
      to the functional training group (Group F), 11 to the physiotherapy group (Group C), and 12
      to the physiotherapy + functional training group (Group C+F). All participants were fully
      informed of the experiment's purpose and procedures and provided voluntary informed consent
      to participate. Forty-five subjects completed the experimental study three times per week for
      four weeks under the guidance of a physical therapist. Only data from individuals with a
      completion rate of 75% or higher were included in the analysis.

      The technical line of this study was to collect basic information about the participants,
      including age, height, weight, injury history, etc., and perform Ankle Special Tests, One Leg
      Standing Test, modified Star Excursion Balance Test, Sargent Jump Test, and fill out the
      Ankle Joint Functional Assessment Tool. Then the intervention groups underwent 12 sessions,
      with groups C and F receiving 20 minutes per treatment or training session, and group C+F
      receiving 40 minutes per treatment plus training session. Post-intervention testing was
      conducted using the same procedures as pre-intervention testing. Relevant indexes were
      collected, collated, compared, and analyzed to investigate the effectiveness of each
      intervention method on patients with functional ankle instability.

      The study's basic information and experimental data were entered and organized using
      Microsoft Excel 2016. The measurements of all indicators before and after the experiment were
      analyzed and calculated using SPSS Statistics 26.0 from International Business Machines
      Corporation (IBM). The data were tested for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk Test. For data
      series that conformed to a normal distribution, they were expressed as mean (Mean) and
      standard deviation (SD). An independent samples t-test was conducted to determine if there
      was a statistically significant difference in baseline values between the intervention groups
      and between the intervention group and the control group. A paired samples t-test was used to
      observe differences within each group before and after the intervention. An independent
      samples t-test was also used to compare the efficacy of the treatment between the
      intervention groups and between the intervention group and the control group after the
      intervention. The study analyzed the statistical significance of the difference in baseline
      values between different training groups. Sequences that did not conform to a normal
      distribution were expressed as median and quartile (Q). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to
      compare the baseline values of different training groups. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was
      used to observe whether there was a statistically significant difference in the nonparametric
      method. After the intervention, the efficacy of the intervention in different training groups
      was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Significant differences were defined as P-values
      less than 0.05, and highly significant differences were defined as P-values less than 0.01.
    

Intervention name(s): Capacitive and Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy; Functional Training; Capacitive and Resistive Electric Transfer Therapy Combined with Functional Training; Control Group
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): In the initial phase, administer a 60% dosage using the capacitance mode with a 65mm treatment head, targeting the musculature surrounding the ankle joint through a 10-minute session of mobile therapy. Subsequently, transition to the resistance mode, maintaining a 65mm treatment head, and apply a 20% dosage for a further session of mobile therapy.; The training program consists of four exercises: one-legged stand, one-legged heel lift, one-legged squat, and one-legged standing catch. Each exercise is performed for two sets. The program is conducted three times a week, and the difficulty level is increased every two weeks. Before and following the training, a physiotherapist will lead a warm-up and stretching session.; The training exercises mirror those of the functional training group, and the treatment protocol similarly commences with the application of a 60% dosage using the capacitance mode with a 65mm treatment head. This phase involves a 10-minute session of mobile therapy targeting the musculature surrounding the ankle joint. Subsequently, the intervention diverges as the treatment transitions to the resistance mode, maintaining a 65mm treatment head, and employs a 20% dosage for a focused, fixed-point therapy session.; Control group received no intervention.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Treatment