Lower Limb Joint Coupling Following Management of Post- Operation Complications in a Patient with Excessive Ankle Stiffness: A Case Study

This research paper aims to investigate the effect of Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) and Faradic Electrotherapy (FES) on lower limb coupling during gait in a patient with excessive ankle stiffness. The study was conducted on a single patient who had been diagnosed with ankle stiffness, decreased muscle strength due to ۳.۵ years immobilization of ankle joint and was experiencing difficulty in walking. The patient underwent a ۱۲-week intervention program that included IASTM and FES. The lower limb kinematics were measured using a motion analysis system before and after the intervention and joint couplings were calculated for ۳-dimensional ankle movement. The results of the study changed ankle-knee, ankle-hip sagittal and transverse, and knee-hip frontal and transverse plane inter-joint coupling during different subphases of gait after intervention. The observed coupling pattern in the subjects under investigation approached a level of similarity to that of healthy individuals in loading response and midstance for ankle-knee sagittal plane. The findings of this study suggest that IASTM and FES can be used as effective interventions to lower limb coupling during gait in patients with post-operation complications. Further research on more patients is required.

Keywords:

Coordination , vector coding electrical stimulation , graston , gait