Effect of treadmill walking on ankle proprioceptive acuity in healthy young women: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the effect of treadmill walking on ankle proprioceptive acuity in healthy young women. Methods: This randomized clinical trial included 20 women aged 18 to 30 years with a low level of physical activity according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire classification. The participants were assigned to two groups with 10 components: the exercise group, which performed 10 treadmill walking sessions, and the control group, which was not submitted to any kind of intervention. Ankle proprioceptive acuity was assessed before and after the Star Excursion Balance Test. After confirming the normality of data, a mixed analysis of variance was used to compare the groups and the assessments before and after the intervention. Results: There were no significant differences in the Star Excursion Balance Test between groups either before or after the intervention. In addition, intergroup differences were not found when percentage variations were compared in both groups. Conclusions: Under the tested conditions, 10 treadmill walking sessions were not able to produce proprioceptive adaptations in healthy young women.