Effect of balance training with different visual conditions on proprioception in patients with chronic ankle instability

doi:10.12307/2025.286

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Stroboscopic visual training can force sensory reweighting to restore the original weights by increasing sensitivity to proprioceptive information, which may be an effective method to improve proprioception.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of balance training in three conditions, low frequency, high frequency and normal vision, on ankle proprioception in patients with chronic ankle instability.
METHODS: Thirty-six patients with chronic ankle instability recruited from the students of Southwest Medical University were randomly assigned to a low-frequency vision training group, a high-frequency vision training group, and a normal vision training group, with 12 subjects in each group. Subjects in the three groups underwent progressive hop stabilization and balance training, in which the low-frequency vision training group and the high-frequency vision training group wore stroboscopic spectacles during the training, with a stroboscopic frequency of 1.75 and 5 Hz, respectively. The training in each group was performed three times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Assessments, including ankle proprioception, ankle stability self-assessment and dynamic postural stability, were performed before training and within 1 week after the completion of training.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There was a significant main effect of time factor in ankle proprioception (P < 0.05). Compared with the pre-training period, subjects in the low-frequency vision training group and the high-frequency vision training group showed significant improvement in ankle proprioception after 4 weeks of training (P < 0.05); and subjects in the low-frequency vision training group showed a significant improvement in ankle proprioception compared with that of the normal vision training group after 4 weeks of training (P < 0.05). There were significant main effects of time factor and group×time interaction in ankle proprioception (P < 0.05). Compared with the pre-training period, the ankle stability self-assessment in all three groups was improved after 4 weeks of training (P < 0.05). And the ankle stability self-assessment in high-frequency visual training group was higher than that in normal vision training group after 4 weeks of training (P < 0.05). Compared with the pre-training period, subjects in the low-frequency vision training group and the high-frequency vision training group showed significant improvements in forward dynamic postural stability, posteromedial dynamic postural stability, and posterolateral dynamic postural stability after 4 weeks of training (P < 0.05), while in the normal vision training group, forward dynamic postural stability and posterolateral dynamic postural stability were significantly improved after 4 weeks of training (P ≤ 0.05). To conclude, balance training under stroboscopic visual conditioning improves proprioception, ankle stability self-assessment, and dynamic postural stability in patients with chronic ankle instability regardless of frequency.

Key words: chronic ankle instability, stroboscopic vision, balance training, sensory reweighing, proprioception, dynamic postural stability

CLC Number:

Wu Yihan, Liu Zhongqiang, Wei Qiaoye, Liu Mingdong, Chen Keyi, Li Zhigang. Effect of balance training with different visual conditions on proprioception in patients with chronic ankle instability [J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2025, 29(5): 1050-1057.

Figures/Tables 7

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