The Effect of Six weeks Selected Ankle Sprain Prevention Exercise Program on Ankle Range of Motion, Proprioception, Ankle Muscle Strength, and Trunk Muscle Endurance in Female Karate Athletes Aged 10 to 13 Years

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of six weeks of selected ankle sprain prevention exercise program on ankle range of motion, ankle proprioception, ankle muscle strength, and trunk muscle endurance in female karate athletes aged 10 to 13 years.

This randomized controlled trial with 36 participants will use the RAND function in Microsoft Excel for group allocation.

This study will be conducted in Mashhad. The procedure will involve: (1) registering interested participants; (2) initial screening and invitation of eligible individuals; (3) familiarizing participants with the research process and obtaining informed consent; (4) randomly dividing participants into training and control groups; (5) measuring dependent variables at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks; and (6) performing statistical data analysis.

In the present study, participants will be female karate athletes aged 10 to 13 years with at least three years of competitive training experience. The inclusion criteria will be: no history of injury or surgery in the ankle region, absence of musculoskeletal abnormalities in the lower limbs, and general good health as confirmed by a physician.

This study will include 36 female karate athletes (aged 10–13 years) purposively selected and randomly assigned to either an ankle injury prevention program or standard warm-up exercises.

Ankle range of motion ankle, angle proprioception, ankle muscle strength, and trunk muscle endurance

In this study, each participant is assigned independently and with equal chance to one of two intervention or control groups. This simple randomization method was chosen for its simplicity, transparency, and the lack of need to consider specific variables to ensure that no known or unknown factors, such as demographic or clinical characteristics, affect the allocation of groups. The required randomization sequence is generated using the RAND function in Excel software. This function generates a random number between 0 and 1 for each individual. Then, based on a predetermined threshold, numbers less than 0.5 are assigned to the control group and numbers equal to or greater than 0.5 are assigned to the intervention group. This randomization sequence is recorded and archived as evidence of the study so that, if necessary, the process can be reviewed and verified.To maintain impartiality and avoid any bias, the allocation process is carried out by an independent observer who has no role or knowledge of the details of the study design, implementation or analysis. Although it is not possible to conceal the grouping from participants and administrative personnel due to the nature of the intervention, both outcome assessors and data analysts are kept unaware of the group allocation until the end of the data collection and analysis phase to reduce bias in the assessment of outcomes