Effects of plantar-sensory treatments on postural control in chronic ankle instability: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of plantar-sensory treatments on postural control in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI). METHODS: This study was registered in PROSPERO (registration number CRD42022329985) on May 14, 2022. An extensive search was performed in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify the potential studies on plantar-sensory treatments affecting postural control before May 2022. The methodological quality of involved studies was assessed using the scale of Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). The Cochrane Tool and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions assessment tool were used to evaluate the risk of bias in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs respectively. RevMan 5.4 was utilised to calculate the standardised mean difference (SMD), with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Eight RCTs with a mean PEDro rating of 6 and four non-RCTs with a mean PEDro rating of 4.75 were included in the quantitative analysis. The types of plantar-sensory treatments included plantar massage, whole-body vibration and textured surface-stimulation treatment. A significant effect of static balance with eyes open (SMD = −0.54; 95% CI: −0.81 to −0.27; p < 0.001) was found and subgroup analysis showed that plantar massage (SMD = −0.49; 95% CI: −0.84 to −0.14; p = 0.006) and whole-body vibration (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI: −1.12 to −0.19; p = 0.005) had positive effects. In the subgroup analysis of anterior dynamic balance, whole-body vibration revealed a significant increase (SMD = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.06−1.14; p = 0.03). The pooled results or subgroup analysis including eyes-closed static balance and other directions of dynamic balance indicated no significant difference (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicated that plantar-sensory treatments could improve postural control in CAI, especially the treatments of plantar massage and long-term whole-body vibration.