COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE TRAINING ON THE ANKLE OF NON-ATHLETES AND VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

Introduction: The ankle is the most frequently injured joint both in daily life and in sports, especially in volleyball players that require sudden movements of the joint. A lower risk of injury is connected to the ankle joint stability, which can be acquired by proprioceptive training, used for rehabilitation and prevention of injuries. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a proprioceptive training for the ankle joint through the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) in sedentary students and compare results with those obtained with the same training in volleyball athletes. Methods: Eleven sedentary students with no history of lower limb injuries participated in a proprioceptive training to the ankles during four weeks. The students were evaluated using the SEBT before and after the protocol of proprioceptive training. After obtaining the pre and post-test averages, they were analyzed intragroup and compared with a database study using the same methodology, but with volleyball players. Results: The paired t test was used to compare the means of both ankles pre and post intervention in students. To compare the outcomes of students with those of the athletes we used the independent t test. We adopted the level of significance 5% (p <= 0.05), and analyzes were performed with SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 18. The results of the SEBT testing of the students, pre and post intervention, showed significant differences in three directions for the right ankle and four directions for the left. The differences between students and the athletes were significant for two directions on the right ankle and for three directions on the left. Conclusion: The proprioceptive training is effective to increase the stability of both sedentary students as athletes, indicating that can be an important means to prevent future injuries.