Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Dec 18, 2016; 7(12): 801-807
Published online Dec 18, 2016. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v7.i12.801
Extrinsic visual feedback and additional cognitive/physical demands affect single-limb balance control in individuals with ankle instability
You-jou Hung, Jacob Miller
You-jou Hung, Jacob Miller, Department of Physical Therapy, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX 76909, United States
Author contributions: Hung Y analyzed the data; Hung Y wrote the paper; Hung Y and Miller J designed the research; Miller J performed the research.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Angelo State University Institutional Review Board.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: NA.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflict-of-interest relevant to the manuscript.
Data sharing statement: Consent for data sharing was not obtained but the presented data are anonymized and risk of identification is low.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: You-jou Hung, PT, MS, PhD, CSCS, Department of Physical Therapy, Angelo State University, ASU Station #10923, San Angelo, TX 76909, United States. you-jou.hung@angelo.edu
Telephone: +1-325-9422742 Fax: +1-325-9422548
Received: July 18, 2016
Peer-review started: July 21, 2016
First decision: September 5, 2016
Revised: September 6, 2016
Accepted: October 5, 2016
Article in press: October 7, 2016
Published online: December 18, 2016
Processing time: 141 Days and 16.3 Hours
Abstract
AIM

To investigate the impact of extrinsic visual feedback and additional cognitive/physical demands on single-limb balance in individuals with ankle instability.

METHODS

Sixteen subjects with ankle instability participated in the study. Ankle instability was identified using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT). The subject’s unstable ankle was examined using the Athletic Single Leg Stability Test of the Biodex Balance System with 4 different protocols: (1) default setting with extrinsic visual feedback from the monitor; (2) no extrinsic visual feedback; (3) no extrinsic visual feedback with cognitive demands; and (4) no extrinsic visual feedback with physical demands. For the protocol with added cognitive demands, subjects were asked to continue subtracting 7 from a given number while performing the same test without extrinsic visual feedback. For the protocol with added physical demands, subjects were asked to pass and catch a basketball to and from the examiner while performing the same modified test.

RESULTS

The subject’s single-limb postural control varied significantly among different testing protocols (F = 103; P = 0.000). Subjects’ postural control was the worst with added physical demands and the best with the default condition with extrinsic visual feedback. Pairwise comparison shows subjects performed significantly worse in all modified protocols (P < 0.01 in all comparisons) compared to the default protocol. Results from all 4 protocols are significantly different from each other (P < 0.01) except for the comparison between the “no extrinsic visual feedback” and “no extrinsic visual feedback with cognitive demands” protocols. Comparing conditions without extrinsic visual feedback, adding a cognitive demand did not significantly compromise single-limb balance control but adding a physical demand did. Scores from the default protocol are significantly correlated with the results from all 3 modified protocols: No extrinsic visual feedback (r = 0.782; P = 0.000); no extrinsic visual feedback with cognitive demands (r = 0.569; P = 0.022); no extrinsic visual feedback with physical demands (r = 0.683; P = 0.004). However, the CAIT score is not significantly correlated with the single-limb balance control from any of the 4 protocols: Default with extrinsic visual feedback (r = -0.210; P = 0.434); no extrinsic visual feedback (r = -0.450; P = 0.081); no extrinsic visual feedback with cognitive demands (r = -0.406; P = 0.118); no extrinsic visual feedback with physical demands (r = -0.351; P = 0.182).

CONCLUSION

Single-limb balance control is worse without extrinsic visual feedback and/or with cognitive/physical demands. The balance test may not be a valid tool to examine ankle instability.

Keywords: Ankle; Balance; Instability; Motor control; Rehabilitation

Core tip: Single-limb balance control with the Biodex Balance System (BBS) was significantly worse without extrinsic visual feedback and with cognitive or physical demands in those with ankle instability. Clinicians should consider a patient’s activity and incorporate proper additional demands in ankle stability testing. In addition, the Athletic Single Leg Stability Test of the BBS may not be a valid tool to examine ankle instability. Further research is needed to examine the validity and reliability of the Athletic Single Leg Stability Test in testing ankle instability.