Immediate effects of bilateral grade III mobilization of the talocrural joint on the balance of elderly women.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immediate effects of a single treatment session of bilateral grade III mobilization of the talocrural joint on the balance of elderly women.

Methods: Thirty-two elderly women (age, 65-80 years) with low physical activity levels completed balance evaluation using baropodometry, the Functional Reach Test and the Timed Up and Go Test, and plantar flexion and dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), before and immediately after the mobilization (n = 16) or sham (n = 16). Each subject was submitted to a total of twelve 30-second grade III mobilizations, 6 for each ankle, in a single treatment session.