Balance training for ankle instability: promising patterns, uncertain program ingredients
Programs with significant results tended to include more training and exercise variety, but that pattern does not establish that either feature caused better outcomes.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Some trials reported improvements in pain, self-reported function or perceived ankle instability with balance training. Programs with statistically significant findings tended to involve more total training and a wider exercise range. This pattern can generate questions about program design, but it does not establish that longer or more varied training is superior.
The authors grouped protocols by whether results reached statistical significance. A significant result in one study and a nonsignificant result in another do not prove the programs differ. The abstract-based evidence cannot establish an optimal training dose.
The comparison was other exercise
The review compared balance exercises with other exercise approaches. It excluded studies using non-exercise controls or balance-based controls, so its conclusions address a particular comparison rather than all possible rehabilitation options.
The size of benefit remains unclear
The outcomes were patients' pain, reported function and sense of instability. The abstract provides no pooled effect size, making it difficult to judge how large the average benefit was or which outcome changed most.
The original publication
Balance Exercise Parameters for Rehabilitation of Adult Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.
Milton LTY, Yi JWJ, Harvie DS
Physiother Res Int · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41376274
- Record checked
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