Hip exercises may beat ankle workouts for wobbly ankles in athletes
NCT ID NCT07319403
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether focusing on hip muscles or ankle muscles during exercise training better improves leg function in athletes with chronic ankle instability. 36 professional athletes will do a 6-week program targeting either the gluteus medius, gluteus maximus, or ankle muscles. The goal is to see which approach reduces instability and improves performance.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- exercise training programs (hip-focused or ankle-focused)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that targeting hip muscles is more effective than ankle exercises for improving stability and function in athletes with chronic ankle instability.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 36 athletes, so results may not apply to all people with ankle instability. Exercise programs require consistent participation, and benefits may vary.
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 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jan 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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 40 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: Professional athletes aged between 18 and 40 years Participation in sports for at least 3 years History of at least one lateral ankle sprain that occurred at least 12 months prior to enrollment At least two episodes of perceived ankle "giving way" and/or at least two recurrent lateral ankle sprains within the past 6 months, and/or a subjective feeling of ankle instability on the injured side Exclusion Criteria: History of lower extremity surgery History of fracture involving the lower extremity Any lower extremity injury within the past 3 months that limited physical activity for more than one day
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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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Hacettepe University
Ankara, Çankaya, Turkey (Türkiye)
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Keyhole surgery for ankle instability: a less invasive fix?
- Eye exercises may boost ankle stability in athletes
- Ankle vs. knee: which injury wobbles you more?
- ER osteopathy eases ankle sprains: study tests One-Time fix
- New ankle rehab aims to cut repeat sprains
- Army tests strength and balance drills to stop ankle sprains in recruits