Balance tests favored neuromuscular training in athletes
A meta-analysis favored neuromuscular training over traditional training for balance, while leaving effects on injuries and sporting performance unanswered.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The pooled findings favored neuromuscular training for overall balance, with favorable results for both static and dynamic balance. These are balance-test outcomes in athletes. The abstract does not report injury rates or competition performance, so it does not establish whether the measured improvements translated into safer or better sporting performance.
The abstract does not describe training schedules, individual study designs or risk-of-bias findings. Its pooled standardized result does not indicate how much an athlete would improve on any particular balance test.
What researchers found
Overall balance ability
After training, neuromuscular versus traditional training; intervention durations were unreported. Positive standardized mean differences favor neuromuscular training.
What was measured
Researchers combined studies that measured balance before and after training. They looked at overall balance alongside static and dynamic measures, which distinguish different aspects of the athletes' ability to maintain balance.
What the units mean
A standard deviation describes how spread out scores are. The reported advantage expresses the difference between training groups in those units, allowing balance tests with different scoring systems to be compared. These are not test points or percentage gains.
The original publication
Effects of Neuromuscular Training on Athletes' Balance Ability: A Meta-Analysis.
Shi K, Xiang M, Shi H et al.
Sports Med · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41144223
- Record checked
AI-assisted research and writing. This explains one selected publication; it is not a complete review of everything known. Our approach.
One more question, understood.
Keep track of the research you’ve explored.