Balance Training with Stroboscopic Glasses Alters Neuromechanics in Chronic Ankle Instability Patients during single leg drop.

CONTEXT: Therapeutic interventions for individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) patients are recommended to improve muscle strength, postural control, and range of motions. However, their effects on neuromechanics during a drop landing remain unclear. Additionally, even though therapeutic interventions with stroboscopic glasses appear to be effective in improving postural control, it remains unclear how the utilization of stroboscopic glasses during therapeutic interventions affects landing neuromechanics.

OBJECTIVES: This study utilized balance training with stroboscopic glasses to identify its effect on neuromechanics during a single leg drop landing in CAI patients.

DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: A controlled laboratory setting.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Fifty people with CAI were randomly assigned to one of two groups: strobe group (n=25) or control group (n=25). The 4-week rehabilitation (three sessions a week) included hop-based tasks and one-leg stance. The strobe group wore stroboscopic glasses during the training, while the control group did not.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Ankle, knee, hip kinematics, and 4 lower extremity muscle activations 150-ms before and after initial contact during a single leg drop landing in the two groups.

RESULTS: The strobe group showed greater eversion (from 150-ms before to 30-ms after the initial contact) and dorsiflexion (from 30-ms to 96-ms after the initial contact) angles and peroneal longus (from 35-ms before to 5-ms after the initial contact) and tibialis anterior (from 0-ms to 120-ms after the initial contact) activation in the posttest compared to the pretest.

CONCLUSIONS: CAI patients who underwent a 4-week rehabilitation with stroboscopic glasses demonstrated changes in neuromechanics including increased dorsiflexion and eversion ankle angles and tibialis anterior and peroneus longus activation during a single leg drop landing. This finding suggests that utilization of stroboscopic glasses during rehabilitation could be beneficial in helping CAI patients develop safe landing mechanics.