A study of the effects of mulligan's mobilization with movement treatment of lateral ankle pain using a case study design

Summary A single case study design was used to investigate the effects of Mulligan's mobilization with movement treatment technique for lateral ankle sprains. The technique involved the physiotherapist sustaining a posterior glide to the distal fibula, while the patient actively inverted the ankle several times. Passive overpressure at end of range was then applied by the therapist. Outcome measures used in this study were the modified Kaikkonen test, range of dorsiflexion and inversion as well as a visual analogue scale for pain and function. Control for the natural resolution of ankle sprains was facilitated by using two subjects. Subject I underwent an ABAC protocol while subject II underwent an BABC protocol: where A was the no treatment phase, B was the treatment phase and C was the post-treatment return to sport phase. A comparison of the trends for both subjects indicated that the treatment technique produced improvements far in excess of that attributable to the natural history of a sprained ankle. This study provides preliminary evidence of the beneficial effects of this treatment technique, thus providing impetus for further investigations.