Effect of a Balance Adjustment System on Postural Control in Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation Science
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Chronic ankle instability (CAI) often leads to impaired postural control.
• Effective rehabilitation strategies are crucial for improving stability in CAI populations.
• Balance training systems offer potential for targeted intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a two-week balance training program using the in-phase mode of the Balance Adjustment System (BASYS) on postural control in individuals with CAI.
• To compare the effectiveness of the BASYS in-phase mode with a traditional balance disc for improving postural control.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 20 participants with CAI.
• Participants were assigned to either the BASYS group (n=10) or the Balance Disc group (n=10).
• Intervention consisted of six supervised training sessions over two weeks, assessing static postural control (single leg stance, eyes closed) and dynamic postural stability (Y-Balance test).

Main Results:

• The BASYS group demonstrated a significant decrease in the center of pressure (COP) total trajectory length, indicating improved static postural control, at both post-training time points compared to pre-training.
• No significant group differences or time-by-group interactions were found for the Y-Balance test reach distances, suggesting no significant difference in dynamic postural stability improvement between the groups.

Conclusions:

• A two-week intervention using the in-phase mode of the BASYS effectively improved static postural control in participants with chronic ankle instability.
• While the BASYS showed benefits for static control, further research may be needed to explore its effects on dynamic stability compared to traditional methods.