Core and foot exercises may strengthen wobbly ankles — a trial puts the combo to the test
NCT ID NCT07731035
First seen Jul 28, 2026 · Last updated Jul 29, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial investigates whether adding core stability training and intrinsic foot muscle exercises to conventional physical therapy can improve balance, joint position sense, and foot function in people with chronic ankle instability. Eighty adults aged 18 to 44 with a history of ankle sprains will be assigned to one of four groups: standard therapy alone, standard therapy plus core training, standard therapy plus foot exercises, or all three combined. The goal is to see if the combined approach leads to better outcomes than standard care alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- core stability training and intrinsic foot muscle exercises added to conventional physical therapy
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this combined exercise approach could offer a better rehabilitation strategy for people with chronic ankle instability, potentially reducing re-injury risk.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, single-site trial with subjective outcome measures. The added benefit of these exercises over standard therapy alone may be modest or not clinically significant.
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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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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 44 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: Subjects will be selected from the outpatient clinic of Delta University hospital, Dakahlia, Egypt. 2. Both male \& female genders aged between 18 and 44 years. 3. Participants should have a history of at least one significant ankle sprain; the initial sprain must have occurred at least 12 months prior to the study enrolment and was associated with inflammatory symptoms (pain, swelling) 4. Patients having Scores on the Cumberland ankle instability tool of 24 or below 5. Participants should report at least 2 episodes of 'giving way' in the 6 months prior to the study enrolment. Episodes of giving way will be described as an incident in which the rearfoot suddenly rolled, felt weak, or lost stability; however, the individual did not sustain an ankle sprain and will have been able to continue with normal function after the incident 6. Body mass index for all groups will be ranged from 18.8-29 kg/m² Exclusion Criteria: 1. history of lower extremity surgery, lower extremity fractures, and immobilization of foot or ankle for 48 hr or longer within the previous 6 months 2. Conditions other than ankle sprain that affect balance or they are receiving ankle rehabilitation at the time of screening. 3. Acute injury to the musculoskeletal structures of other joints of the lower extremity in the previous 3 months, which impacted joint integrity and function (ie, sprains, fractures) resulting in at least 1 interrupted day of desired physical activity
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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out-patient clinic, faculty of physical therapy, Delta university
RECRUITINGAl Mansurah, Egypt
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