Proprioceptive training and ankle sprain

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Ankle sprains occur in many sports, and can significantly limit an athlete′s performance. While balance training is thought to prevent or treat ankle sprains, the effects of proprioception training are less clear. This literature review and meta-analysis was designed to better understand the effects of proprioceptive training on the risk of ankle sprain.METHODS A literature review was completed for studies of adults, evaluating the effects of proprioception using balance training, as compared with a control condition, on the incidence of ankle sprain. Of the 1,073 studies found in the database, 12 were chosen for the meta-analysis, including 1,722 subjects.RESULTS In the meta-analysis, compared to the control condition, balance training resulted in a 38% reduction in the incidence of ankle sprain. Among the studies that examined dynamic neuromuscular control, balance training with proprioceptive training increased the distance reached in the anterior (P＝0.01), posterolateral (P＝0.0008) and posteromedial (P＝0.006) excursion balance tests.CONCLUSION This literature review and meta-analysis supports the conclusion that balance training with proprioceptive training can significantly reduce the risk of ankle sprain and increase balance and joint position sense.