Do External Supports Influence Proprioception in Patients With Chronic Ankle Instability?: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.

Objective: Individuals with chronic ankle instability experience recurring sprains and impaired proprioception, and the effect of external support in the proprioception of injured ankles is still inconsistent in existing studies. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether external support could enhance the proprioception of injured ankles in patients with chronic ankle instability.

Design: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Results: Eight studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and CINAHL were finally included after applying the exclusion criteria. Meta-analyses revealed a significantly higher joint position sense on inversion with a weighted mean difference of 1.25 degrees and plantar flexion (weighted mean difference, 1.74 degrees) and lower kinesthesia in eversion (weighted mean difference = -0.70 degrees) with the application of external support in the injured ankles of patients with chronic ankle instability.

Conclusion: Applying external support has statistically significant negative effects on kinesthesia and a positive effect on the active joint position sense in the injured ankles of patients with chronic ankle instability. However, this study did not support the restoration of proprioception deficits as a mechanism of external support in preventing reinjuries, owing to its potentially negative effect on kinesthesia, clinically small changes in proprioception, and poor methodologic quality of existing studies.