Ankle Injuries, Imaging and Prevention Program Effectiveness in New Army Recruits

NCT ID: NCT06469099

Last Updated: 2026-01-26

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 786 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-03-15
• Study Completion Date: 2025-09-15

Brief Summary

Infantry recruits will undergo a musculoskeletal examination to assess tendon, muscle, proprioception, agility, and joint status. Afterward, an exercise intervention program will be implemented, followed by a concluding evaluation.

Detailed Description

Purpose: To evaluate ankle injuries in new infantry recruits, including their characteristics, association with imaging and functional measures, and the effectiveness of a preventive exercise program.

Methods: 650 new male infantry soldiers aged 18-23 will be recruited to participate in the study at the beginning of their military training. At the beginning and the end of the training (after approximately six months), the soldiers will be assessed for the following: 1. Demographics (height, weight, leg length, BMI calculation), 2. Proprioception ability (Active Movement Extent Discrimination Apparatus AMEDA), 3. Dynamic balance (Y-Balance Test YBT), 4. Leg muscle strength (bilateral heel rise test), 5. Hip strength (hand-held dynamometer), 6. Ankle agility (hexagon agility hop test), 7. Ankle stability (Anterior Drawer Test, musculoskeletal ultrasound for the Anterior Talofibular Ligament), 8. Achilles tendon structure (Ultrasound tissue Characterization UTC), 9. Aerobic ability (3000 meters run, will be recorded by the fitness instructors at the training base). In addition, the soldiers will fill out a previous ankle sprains questionnaire, pre-induction physical activity questionnaire, the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) for ankle perceived instability, and the Ankle Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (ankle-FABQ).

The soldiers will perform a constructed ankle sprain prevention program for five minutes every day during the six-month length of the study. Every 1-2 weeks, the researcher will arrive at the training base to monitor ankle injuries. Those who are diagnosed with a sprain will undergo ultrasound evaluations, which will be performed every few weeks.

Conditions

Ankle Sprains

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

research group

active exercises for few weeks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

excercises

Intervention Type: OTHER

exercises for strength and balance

control

control group - no intervention, continue their routine

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

excercises

exercises for strength and balance

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• soldiers ages 18-22

Exclusion Criteria

• knows disease of the bones
• before orthopedic surgery

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 22 Years
• Eligible Sex: MALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Zinman College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Haifa

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Gali Dar

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Gali Dar, Prof.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Haifa

Locations

The Academic college Levinsky-Wingate at the Wingate Institute

Netanya, , Israel

Countries

Israel

Other Identifiers

231/22

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id