Introduction: The ankle joint, a part of the kinetic chain of the lower limb, plays a significant role in the maintenance of postural stability during bipedal and unipedal balancing activities. This study aimed to evaluate the neuromuscular control of the ankle joint and the postural stability while executing the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), by recording the EMG activity of the extrinsic ankle musculature and the displacement of the center of pressure (CoP).
Methods: The EMG activity of the tibialis anterior (TA), the peroneus brevis (PB) and the medial and lateral gastrocnemius (GM, GL), along with the anteroposterior and mediolateral displacements (APd and MLd) of CoP as well as the plantar pressure distribution of the supportive lower limb were recorded during reaching to the eight directions of SEBT in 29 healthy, physically active college students (15 males and 14 females; mean ± SD of age 25.