Effect of a Balance Adjustment System on Postural Control in Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability.
Kazushi Yoshida, Rieko Kuramochi, Junji Shinohara
PMID 37425119WHAT IT FOUND
In young adults with chronic ankle instability, two weeks of a balance device that moved with their sway reduced standing sway compared with a balance disc after the first and final sessions.
Dynamic reach scores did not improve.
Key findings
01The BASYS in-phase group's total trajectory length decreased from pretraining to after the first and final sessions.
02The device group differed from the Balance Disc group over time for total trajectory length, but not for 95% ellipse area.
03No group differences or time-by-group interactions were observed for Y-Balance Test reach distances.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 young intercollegiate athletes were studied, so results may not apply to older adults or recreational patients. The outcomes were lab balance measures only; the authors state that muscle activation and functional outcome measures were not assessed. The intervention lasted two weeks and was measured only after the first and final sessions, so longer-term effects are unknown. The control group received Balance Disc training, not usual care or no intervention, so the study cannot show the device is better than doing nothing. The authors note the need for further research to exclude cognitive bias.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the reduced standing sway as proof that the device treats chronic ankle instability. The trial only measured lab balance in 20 young athletes, dynamic reach did not improve, and no function or symptoms were assessed.