Comparative Effectiveness of Structured Versus Traditional Rehabilitation on Static and Dynamic Balance in Collegiate Football Athletes With Grade II Calcaneofibular Ligament Injury

Abstract

A grade II injury of the calcaneofibular ligament may affect a player's posture and consequently their functional
performance in football. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the structured rehabilitation to the
traditional rehabilitation in collegiate football players with Grade II calcaneofibular ligament injuries for improving
static and dynamic balance. The 60 athletes with ages ranging from 18 to 30 years were randomly divided into two
groups: structured rehabilitation (30) and traditional rehabilitation (30). Supervised weekly rehab for 3 sessions was
given to both groups for a total of 8 weeks. The Stork Stand Test was performed for static balance and Y-Balance Test
was performed for dynamic balance. Stork Stand Test scores improved from 17.42 ± 3.15 to 29.61 ± 3.82 seconds in
the structured group (p=0.002) and from 17.15 ± 3.28 to 23.42 ± 3.67 seconds in the traditional group (p=0.001).
Post-intervention Y-Balance scores were significantly higher in the structured group than the traditional group in the
anterior (89.5 ± 4.2 vs 83.8 ± 4.6; p=0.002), posteromedial (96.2 ± 3.8 vs 90.1 ± 4.1; p=0.001), and posterolateral
(95.7 ± 3.9 vs 89.4 ± 4.4; p=0.001) directions. Structured rehabilitation yielded better improvements in static and
dynamic balance, and may be a better option to restore functional postural control in collegiate football players with
Grade II calcaneofibular ligament injuries