lower limb coordination after post-op complications in a case with ankle stiffness

Purpose: this research 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. methods: the study was conducted on a single patient who was diagnosed with ankle stiffness, decreased muscle strength due to 3.5 years of immobilization of the ankle joint, and was experiencing difficulty in walking. the patient underwent a 12-week treatment program that included iastm and fes. the lower limb kinematics were measured using a motion analysis system before and after the intervention and couplings were calculated for 3-dimensional ankle movement. results: the results of the study changed ankle-knee, ankle-hip sagittal and transverse, and knee-hip frontal and transverse plane coupling during different subphases of gait after the intervention. the observed coordination pattern in the subjects under investigation approached a level of similarity to that of healthy individuals in loading response (lr) and midstance (ms) for the ankle-knee sagittal plane.conclusion: the results of this study suggest that iastm and fes can be used as effective interventions to lower limb coordination during gait in patients with post-operation complications. further research on more patients is required.