Effect of 8-week treadmill running with peroneal muscle functional electrical stimulation on laterally deviated centre of plantar pressure position and star excursion balance test performance

Introduction: Ankle sprain is a common injury that can have long-term sequelae resulting in pain, swelling and a reduction of physical activity participation. Previous research has shown a laterally deviated centre of pressure (COP) during running gait increases the risk of lateral ankle sprain. As a method of altering COP, electrical stimulation has been considered.
Method: A group of 14 healthy males were randomly allocated to case control groups which were single blinded. The intervention involved an 8-week training programme of functional electrical stimulation to the peroneal muscles during treadmill running, with a sham control group. Outcomes were COP position and star excursion balance test. Statistical analysis was through SPSS using a combination of MANOVA, T-tests and Wilcoxon signed rank
Results: There was a significant difference in the results post intervention at max pressure for intervention M = 0.7 (±0.7) and control M = -6.0 (±4.6) conditions; t(6) = -2.9, p < 0.05
Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that FES can alter COP during max pressure in running gait after an 8-week training programme, although carry over effect appears limited and further testing is required.