REHABILITATION AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR MODERATE CALCANEOFIBULAR LIGAMENT INJURY IN COLLEGIATE FOOTBALL ATHLETES: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN STRUCTURED REHABILITATION VS TRADITIONAL REHABILITATION
Keywords:
Calcaneofibular ligament, ankle sprain,, structured rehabilitation, football athletes, balance, training, Y-Balance Test.Abstract
Background:
Lateral ankle ligament injuries are among the most common sports-related injuries in
football athletes and frequently result in impaired balance, reduced functional performance,
and recurrent injury. Although exercise-based rehabilitation is widely recommended,
uncertainty remains regarding the optimal rehabilitation approach for athletes with Grade II
calcaneofibular ligament injury.[1,2,3]
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of structured rehabilitation and traditional
rehabilitation in improving static balance, dynamic balance, and functional performance
among collegiate football athletes with Grade II calcaneofibular ligament injury.
Methods:
A comparative experimental study was conducted on 60 collegiate football athletes
diagnosed with Grade II calcaneofibular ligament injury. Participants were allocated into
two groups: Structured Rehabilitation Group (n=30) and Traditional Rehabilitation Group
(n=30). Both groups received rehabilitation three sessions per week for eight weeks.
Outcome measures included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Stork Stand Test, and Y-
Balance Test. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0, with significance
set at p<0.05.
Results:
Both groups demonstrated significant improvements following intervention. The structured
rehabilitation group showed greater improvement in static balance, with Stork Stand Test
scores increasing from 17.42±3.15 to 29.61±3.82 seconds compared with 17.15±3.28 to
23.42±3.67 seconds in the traditional rehabilitation group. Dynamic balance was
significantly better in the structured rehabilitation group across all Y-Balance Test directions
(Anterior: 89.5±4.2 vs. 83.8±4.6; Posteromedial: 96.2±3.8 vs. 90.1±4.1; Posterolateral:
95.7±3.9 vs. 89.4±4.4; p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Structured rehabilitation demonstrated superior improvements in static and dynamic balance
compared with traditional rehabilitation in collegiate football athletes with Grade II
calcaneofibular ligament injury. The findings support the incorporation of progressive
balance, neuromuscular, agility, and sport-specific training into rehabilitation programmes.
