visual reliance to restore balance in healthy, prone to injury, coper, and chronic ankle instability individuals

Objectives: the visual system plays a crucial role in controlling the posture of individuals by updating information on the positions and movements that different parts of the body perform. this study aimed to investigate and compare the role of vision in balance recovery strategies between healthy, prone to injury, coper, and chronic ankle instability (cai).methods: the current research was of an applied and comparative type, which was conducted on male athletes in the age group of 18 to 30 years. subjects were divided purposefully into four groups including cai (n=15), coper (n=15), prone to ankle injury (n=15), and healthy group (n=15). in this study, treadmills were used to create disturbance in the subjects’ postures in both anterior and posterior directions, and kinovea software to record kinematic information about subjects during sudden disturbances. paired t-test was used to compare the scores of the subjects in open and closed eyes.results: the results of the paired t-test showed that in the variables of ankle oscillations, hip oscillations, and the ratio of the hip to ankle oscillations in both anterior and posterior disturbances in the groups of cai, coper, prone to injury, and healthy, there was a significant difference between open eyes (p=0.001) and closed eyes (p=0.001). the order of most fluctuations in all variables was from cai group to coper, prone to injury, and healthy, indicating the greater effectiveness of balance recovery strategies by eliminating visual feedback in the cai group.discussion: to summarize the research findings, compared with uninjured and coper participants, those with cai had less balance and more functional limitations. therefore, in training programs for ankle sprain rehabilitation, special attention should be paid to balance recovery strategies and the role of visual feedback to control posture.