Effect of Eight-Week Corrective Exercises on the activity of Involved Muscles in Ankle Balance Strategies in Girls with Lower Limb Pronation Syndrome

Thelower extremity pronation syndrome involves foot hyper pronation, knee internal rotation, and adduction. When sport exercises are properly designed and integrated, using a multifaceted training approach can help achieve goals without the need for other interventions. Ankle balance strategy restores balance by moving the body around the ankle joint. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of eight-weeks of combined corrective exercises on the activity of of involved muscles in girls’ ankle strategy with lower extremity pronation syndrome.

In the current semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design and control group, 30 students, aged 13-16 years old, with lower extremity pronation syndrome were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=15) and control (n=15). Prior to and after eight weeks of training for 60 to 80 minutes, three times a week, we evaluated flat foot using Navi drop test, knee valgus using tibiofemoral angle measurement, tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius muscles Electromyography (EMG) activity on Biodex Balance while standing on dominant.

Covariance analysis showed a significant difference in tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius muscles EMG between the two groups in the posttests. Also, corrective exercises was found to be significantly different on tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius amount of muscles activity at posttest compared with pretest and had approximately 94% and 62%, respectively, effects on the EMG of these muscles in girls with lower extremity pronation syndrome (p=0,001) (p=0,026).

It seems that corrective mixed exercises led to changes such as increased muscles activity in those responsible for balance control such as increase in the tibialis anterior muscle activity and decrease in the gastrocnemius muscle activity, which are related to the ankle strategy. So it is recommended that specialists and researchers consider corrective exercises in order to improve balance strategies in people with pronation syndrome.