A recent literature review looked at 554 published studies and determined that strength training had minimal detectable benefit in improving balance in patients with chronic ankle stability. While strengthening is recognized as an important component of any ankle rehabilitation, this review indicates that strengthening alone is not sufficient to significantly improve balance in patients with chronic ankle instability. Additional activities, beyond pure strengthening, designed to improve proprioception and balance should be integrated into an ankle rehabilitation program. This is especially important when working with athletes subject to repetitive injury, or older patients at risk of falling.
Does Strength Training for Chronic Ankle Instability Improve Balance and Patient-Reported Outcomes and by Clinically Detectable Amounts? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Lijiang Luan, MSc, Roger Adams, PhD, Jeremy Witchalls, PhD, Charlotte Ganderton, PhD, Jia Han, PhD
Physical Therapy, pzab046, https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzab046