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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Evaluation of functional ankle instability assessed by an instrumented wobble board
Uffe Laessoe1, Anne Weinreich Svendsen2, Mads Norre Christensen2
1Physiotherapy Department, University College of Northern Denmark, UCN, Selma Lagerloffsvej 2, DK-9220, Aalborg, Denmark; Department of Research and Development, University College of Northern Denmark, UCN, Selma Lagerloffsvej 2, DK-9220, Aalborg, Denmark.
Objectives:
Ankle sprains often lead to a history of recurrent injuries and functional joint instability. This study evaluated a new method for assessing functional impairment in patients with chronic ankle instability.
Design:
Case-control study for construct validation purpose.
Setting:
The participants were tested during one-leg standing for 20 s on an instrumented wobble board and on a balance platform.
Participants:
Twenty-five young people with previous ankle sprain and an instability score >11 in the "Identification of Functional Ankle Instability questionnaire" and an age-matched control group of 25 healthy individuals.
Main Outcome Measures:
Wobble board variation of tilt angle measured by two accelerometers placed horizontally in the board.
Results:
The variation in angular tilt of the wobble board in the medio-lateral direction (standard deviation of tilt angle) was higher in the group with perceived ankle instability than in the control group: 1.5 (0.7) versus 1.1 (0.3). ICC for intra-tester reliability: 0.87 and correlation with COP area measures from the stable balance platform: 0.64.
Conclusions:
People with functional ankle instability display poorer postural stability in the medio-lateral direction when challenged on an unstable surface. The instrumented wobble board may serve as a relevant tool in the clinical evaluation of functional ankle stability.
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