Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 Sep 9. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001876. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) experience recurring sprains and impaired proprioception, and the effect of external support in the proprioception of injured ankles is still inconsistent in existing studies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether external support could enhance the proprioception of injured ankles in patients with CAI.
DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
RESULTS: Eight studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and CINAHL were finally included after applying the exclusion criteria. Meta-analyses revealed a significantly higher joint position sense (JPS) on inversion with a weighted mean difference (WMD) of 1.25° and plantar flexion (WMD = 1.74°) and lower kinesthesia in eversion (WMD = -0.70°) with the application of external support in the injured ankles of patients with CAI.
CONCLUSION: Applying external support has statistically significant negative effects on kinesthesia and a positive effect on the active JPS in the injured ankles of patients with CAI. However, this study did not support the restoration of proprioception deficits as a mechanism of external support in preventing reinjuries, due to its potentially negative effect on kinesthesia, clinically small changes in proprioception, and poor methodological quality of existing studies.
PMID:34508060 | DOI:10.1097/PHM.0000000000001876
