This prospective controlled trial tested whether a 36-week proprioceptive balance board program could reduce ankle sprains in competitive volleyball players. It followed 116 teams (1,127 players) across a full season, comparing a structured balance board intervention against normal training. The study was designed to address prior underpowered trials that suggested but could not confirm a preventive effect.
In athletes who have already sprained their ankle, proprioception is measurably impaired — and this impairment is the mechanism driving the high reinjury rate, not just bad luck or poor technique.
This trial quantifies the payoff of addressing that deficit: a structured balance board program reduced recurrent ankle sprain risk by 60% (RR 0.4) in previously injured volleyball players over a full competitive season.
The critical caveat is the knee signal. Players with prior knee injury had a fivefold higher rate of overuse knee problems in the intervention group. The authors hypothesize a 'weakest link' shift — stabilizing the ankle under load may redirect force to the knee, similar to how rigid ski bindings reduced leg fractures but increased knee injuries.
For clinical decision-making: recommend balance board training for athletes with prior ankle sprains, but screen for knee injury history first. Current overuse knee injury is a reason to hold off on the program.
This prospective controlled trial tested whether a 36-week proprioceptive balance board program could reduce ankle sprains in competitive volleyball players. It followed 116 teams (1,127 players) across a full season, comparing a structured balance board intervention against normal training. The study was designed to address prior underpowered trials that suggested but could not confirm a preventive effect.
In athletes who have already sprained their ankle, proprioception is measurably impaired — and this impairment is the mechanism driving the high reinjury rate, not just bad luck or poor technique.
This trial quantifies the payoff of addressing that deficit: a structured balance board program reduced recurrent ankle sprain risk by 60% (RR 0.4) in previously injured volleyball players over a full competitive season.
The critical caveat is the knee signal. Players with prior knee injury had a fivefold higher rate of overuse knee problems in the intervention group. The authors hypothesize a 'weakest link' shift — stabilizing the ankle under load may redirect force to the knee, similar to how rigid ski bindings reduced leg fractures but increased knee injuries.
For clinical decision-making: recommend balance board training for athletes with prior ankle sprains, but screen for knee injury history first. Current overuse knee injury is a reason to hold off on the program.