Jn. Bernier et Dh. Perrin, EFFECT OF COORDINATION TRAINING ON PROPRIOCEPTION OF THE FUNCTIONALLYUNSTABLE ANKLE, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 27(4), 1998, pp. 264-275
Exercises to improve joint proprioception and coordination of the func
tionally unstable ankle are advocated throughout the literature, yet t
here is little evidence that these exercises have any effect on propri
oception and balance. The purpose of this study was to determine the e
ffects of a 6-week coordination and balance training program on propri
oception of subjects with functional ankle instability. Forty-five sub
jects (age = 22.53 +/- 3.95 years, height = 712.04 +/- 10.0 cm, weight
= 71.12 +/- 15.7 kg) were randomly placed into a control (Group 1), s
ham (Group 2), or experimental (Group 3) group. The experimental group
trained 3 days per week, 10 minutes each day, performing various bala
nce and proprioception exercises. Postural sway and active and passive
joint position sense were assessed. Analysis of variance for postural
sway modified equilibrium score for anterior and posterior sway, as w
ell as medial and lateral sway revealed significant four-way interacti
ons. Tukey post hoc analyses revealed that Group 3 performed significa
ntly better (p < .51 than Group 1 and Group 2 on the posttests. There
were no significant differences for joint position sense or postural s
way index. Results suggest that balance and coordination training can
improve some measures of postural sway. It is still unclear if joint p
osition sense can be improved in the functionally unstable ankle.