Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Balance deficits in recreational athletes with chronic ankle instability
Cathleen N Brown1, Richard Mynark
1Department of Kinesiology, University of Georgia, Ramsey Center, 300 River Road, Athens, GA 30602-6554, USA. browncn@uga.edu
Context:
Deficits in static and dynamic stability during single-leg stance have been noted in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI), but few investigators have tested subjects for subtle deficits in dynamic balance. Subtle deficits in dynamic balance during a double-leg stance may reveal changes in the sensorimotor system because of CAI.
Objective:
To use a standardized tibial nerve stimulation as a perturbation to test for dynamic balance deficits between a group of recreational athletes with CAI and a group of recreational athletes with stable ankles.
Design:
Case-control study.
Setting:
Laboratory.
Patients Or Other Participants:
Twenty recreational athletes with CAI and 20 recreational athletes with stable ankles.
Intervention(S):
Balance deficits were assessed for each subject during static and dynamic trials.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Time to stabilization and center-of-pressure excursion path length, velocity, and area from ground reaction forces during double-leg stance were collected through a forceplate. We used an accelerometer to measure tibial acceleration. Data were collected during static stance and during a bilateral perturbation using maximal motor neuron recruitment elicited by electric stimulation of the tibial nerve.
Results:
Only time to stabilization in the anterior-posterior direction was significantly different between groups ( P = .04), with the CAI group taking longer to return to a stable range of ground reaction forces. We found no other differences in stability measures between the groups.
Conclusions:
Dynamic balance in double-leg stance as measured by time to stabilization appears to be affected in individuals with CAI. Deficits in the response to external perturbation may indicate subtle central sensorimotor changes.
