the effect of wii training on neurocognitive function in athletes with functional ankle instability: matched randomized clinical trial

Background: many studies have investigated ankle sprain injury and it has been reported that in 80% of cases, ankle sprains lead to functional ankle instability (fai). the conventional exercises for fai rehabilitation neglect the associated neurocognitive dysfunction.objective: this study aims to evaluate the effect of wii fit plus as a virtual reality training on neurocognitive function in athletes with fai compared to athletes without fai.material and methods: in this matched randomized clinical trial study, 25 athletes with unilateral fai and 25 athletes without fai were assigned to two groups randomly: 1) the intervention group, subjects performed the wii training including balance and strengthening games three times a week for 12 sessions and 2) subjects in the control group received no intervention. before and after the training, the neurocognitive function was assessed through the computerized-reaction time test based on the detection or identification of ‘x’ mark on a computer monitor. between-groups and within-group comparisons were done by the independent t-test and paired t-test, respectively.results: a significant difference was observed in mean differences of neurocognitive function between athletes with and without fai. comprising before and after training was significant in the intervention group. conclusion: based on the results, the information-processing speed of athletes with fai increased after the training, utilized for rehabilitation protocols.