Ankle mobility boost: simple mobilization may improve basketball performance
NCT ID NCT06828744
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether adding ankle joint mobilization to a standard exercise and stretching program improves ankle range of motion and athletic performance in young basketball players with limited ankle movement. Thirty-eight healthy, active players with restricted ankle dorsiflexion were randomly assigned to either exercise alone or exercise plus joint mobilization for five weeks. The researchers measured ankle mobility, strength, endurance, and functional performance at the start, end, and three months after the program.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ankle joint mobilization (posterior talocrural glide) plus eccentric exercise and stretching
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could give coaches and trainers a simple, non-drug way to improve ankle mobility and athletic performance in young basketball players.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 38 participants, so results may not apply to all athletes. The intervention is low-risk but may not produce lasting or major improvements.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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38 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Finished
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Nov 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 25 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants healthy and actively engaged in basketball training at the time of the study. * No presence of ankle pain or use of medication for musculoskeletal injuries or pain management at the time of the study. * Participation in regular training for at least one month prior to the study. * A restriction in ankle dorsiflexion of at least 2 cm in one foot compared to the other, as measured using the Weight-Bearing Lunge Test (WBLT). * Written informed consent must be provided before participation in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * History of lower extremity surgery. * Musculoskeletal injury to the lower extremity within the past six months. * Presence of neurological, vestibular, or balance disorders, or diagnosed connective tissue disease. * Inability to comply with the intervention or assessment procedures.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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International Hellenic University
Thessaloniki, Greece, 57 400, Greece