Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is a syndrome characterized by persistent dysfunction resulting from repeated ankle sprains, often leading to impaired postural control in affected individuals. Although rehabilitation training on unstable surfaces is effective for patients with CAI, it does not sufficiently reduce their reliance on visual input. While eye-closure training can restrict visual input, it poses safety risks and exhibits low compliance rates. Stroboscopic vision may offer a safe and effective alternative; however, its efficacy in reducing visual reliance among CAI patients on unstable surfaces remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of stroboscopic vision on static postural control in CAI patients on unstable surfaces. Method: Twenty-five individuals with CAI (18 females and 7 males, age: 21. 2±1. 2 years, height: 167. 9±10. 2 cm, body mass: 62. 3±10. 8 kg) were recruited from Shandong Sport University. Their static postural control was assessed across three visual conditions: eyes-open (EO), eyes-closed (EC), and strobe vision (SV). Static postural control was evaluated during single-limb stance on a padded sponge for 10 seconds and represented by root mean square (RMS) of the plantar center of pressure (CoP), total CoP displacement velocity (CoPVelTotal), and the 95% confidence ellipse area (95% Area). One-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze data. Significant differences were observed in COPRMSML (p 0. 05). This study revealed a significant impact of visual interference on static postural control in people with CAI. Individuals with CAI exhibit a strong reliance on visual input to maintain balance, and visual deprivation or distortion may exacerbate postural instability, particularly in the medial-lateral direction. Consequently, rehabilitation programs should integrate visual challenge training, such as stroboscopic or eye-closure exercises, to enhance postural control and mitigate the risk of re-injury.
Shen et al. (2026) studied this question.