Electrotherapy as a rehabilitation modality for chronic ankle instability: A systematic review

Objective

To assess whether combining electrotherapies with therapeutic exercise (TEx) for chronic ankle instability (CAI) is more effective than TEx alone.

Data Sources

PubMed, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were searched to ascertain studies relevant to this review published from inception until September 2024.

Study Selection

Studies included were randomized control trials, including human participants with no restriction on sex, age, or setting, with an intervention of electrotherapy in combination with TEx compared with TEx alone for treating CAI.

Data Extraction

Each article was reviewed to establish if a type of electrotherapy was used with TEx for rehabilitating CAI and compared to TEx alone.

Data Synthesis

3118 articles were found for review, with 7 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The 7 studies were then divided into 4 groups: Stochastic Resonance Stimulation (SRS), Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (aTDCS), and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) for comparison.

Conclusion

The findings from the studies included in this review suggested that combining electrotherapy with TEx has preferable functional outcome measures than TEx alone when rehabilitating CAI.

Key Points

For the most part, the current body of research suggests that combining electrotherapy with TEx has preferable functional outcomes than TEx alone in those with CAI. Future research must assess the long-term outcomes of combining electrotherapy with TEx in this population.