Heel-Kicking Exercise Speeds Early Recovery After Acute Lateral Ankle Sprain
Heel kicking exercise rapidly improves pain and function in patients with acute lateral ankle sprain: a randomized controlled trial.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord . 2025 Jul 8;26(1):666.Sixty (sixty) patients with acute grade I–II lateral ankle sprain were randomized to standard care (PRICE + ankle-pump; n=30) or the same standard care plus heel-kicking exercise (HKE; n=30). The primary outcomes were pain (VAS), ankle swelling (figure-of-eight method), and AOFAS scores. Karlsson scores were assessed at 26 weeks. Outcomes were measured at baseline, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks, with follow-up at 26 weeks. Overall, the results revealed faster improvements with HKE: greater early reductions in pain and swelling and earlier functional gains, with groups converging on pain by 4 weeks and no between-group difference in Karlsson scores at 26 weeks. These findings suggest HKE is a simple, safe adjunct that accelerates short-term recovery after ankle sprain.
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