Modified Star Excursion Balance Test Performance in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Participant-Level...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Chronic ankle instability (CAI) affects 20% of individuals post-ankle sprain.
• Current research on CAI and balance performance is inconclusive.
• Normative data for balance tests in CAI populations is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine normative values for modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) performance in individuals with CAI.
• To compare mSEBT performance between individuals with CAI, Copers, and Healthy participants.
• To provide data for clinical decision-making in dynamic balance assessment and rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Participant-level analysis combining ten mSEBT datasets.
• Categorization of participants into CAI, Coper, and Healthy groups.
• Analysis of maximal reach distances in anterior, posterolateral, posteromedial, and composite directions, with sub-grouping based on stance and score reporting.

Main Results:

• Pooled data included 429 participants (202 CAI, 181 Healthy, 46 Coper).
• CAI subgroups showed significantly smaller reach distances in specific directions compared to the Healthy group (p < 0.05).
• Copers outperformed both CAI and Healthy groups in all reach directions; ANT and PL directions showed the smallest reaches for CAI and Healthy/Coper groups, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Reduced mSEBT reach in specific directions was observed in certain CAI subgroups compared to Healthy and Coper groups.
• Normative data derived from this study can inform clinical practice.
• This data aids in decision-making for dynamic balance assessment and rehabilitation in CAI populations.