Effects of visual feedback balance training on the balance and ankle instability in adult men with functional ankle instability.
Seung-Min Nam, Kyoung Kim, Do Youn Lee
PMID 29410578WHAT IT FOUND
In men with functional ankle instability, 8 weeks of visual feedback balance training plus ankle exercise improved balance.
Ankle instability scores improved in both groups, so visual feedback's unique effect is unclear.
Key findings
01The group that received visual feedback balance training plus ankle exercise had significant pre-post increases in limit-of-stability measurements, while the stretching and strengthening control group did not.
02Ankle instability scores improved significantly in both the visual feedback plus ankle exercise group and the stretching and strengthening group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only men, so it does not show the same effect in women. There was no follow-up after 8 weeks, so durability of the effect is unknown. The paper reports only within-group pre-post tests, not a direct between-group comparison, so superiority of the experimental treatment over stretching and strengthening is not tested. The experimental group received visual feedback balance training plus 10 minutes of ankle exercise treatment, so the contribution of visual feedback alone cannot be separated. The sample was small, with 13 participants in the experimental group and 15 in the control group.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that visual feedback balance training, or the ankle exercise given with it, is better than stretching and strengthening. Both groups improved CAIT scores, and the paper only reports within-group changes.