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Auditory Biofeedback Gait Training Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability

Optimizing Retention on Duty in Patients With Chronic Ankle Instability Using Auditory Biofeedback Gait Training: A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial

Who can join

Ages 18 to 45 · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* Physically active adults (defined as participants reporting a score of =4 on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Activity Instrument and indicating they can run for at least 20 consecutive minutes)
* History of ankle sprain
* 2 episodes of "giving way" in the past 6-months
* must answer "yes" to =5 questions on the Ankle Instability Instrument (AII) and =11 on the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI)

Exclusion Criteria:

* an ankle sprain in the previous four weeks or lower extremity neuromusculoskeletal injury other than to the ankle in the last 12 months
* history of surgery in the lower extremity
* fracture to the lower extremity in the past 12 months or a fracture that required open-reduction internal fixation
* history of neurological disease, vestibular or visual disturbance or any other pathology that would impair sensorimotor performance or gait
* current participation in a formal ankle joint rehabilitation program
* a concussion in the last 12 months
* report a cardiovascular, metabolic, or renal disease, or signs and symptoms that suggest such condition or have been told by a medical provider not to engage in vigorous physical activity (such as running).

About the study

The goal of this randomized clinical controlled trial is examine the effects of gait training with auditory biofeedback (AudFB) on gait biomechanics, clinical measures of ankle joint health, and patient-centered outcomes. The following specific aims will achieve this objective:

* Specific Aim 1: Determine if a 6-week gait training with AudFB intervention improves lower extremity biomechanics compared to a Control condition in participants with CAI. * Specific Aim 2: Determine if a 6-week gait training with AudFB reduces talar cartilage deformation compared to a Control condition in participants with CAI. * Specific Aim 3: Determine if a 6-week gait training with AudFB reduces episodes of ankle giving-way and reduces self-perceived severity of symptoms relative to a Control condition in participants with CAI.

Participants will:

* Complete 12 intervention sessions over a 6-week period of walking, ruck marching, and runninig. * Complete testing sessions before and after the intervention, then after 6 and 12-months following the intervention.

What is being tested

• Walking (other)
• Rucking (other)
• Running (other)

Sponsor: Danielle Torp · Participants: 100 · Started: May 27, 2025

Contact the study team

• Danielle M Torp, PhD, ATC · Phone: 18593239835

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06868316

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Ankle Injuries and Disorders

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.