The effects of stroboscopic balance training on cortical activities in athletes with chronic ankle instability.

Abstract Objectives To investigate the effect of a 6-week stroboscopic balance training program on cortical activities in athletes with chronic ankle instability. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Single-center. Participants Thirty-nine participants were assigned to the strobe group (SG, n = 13), non-strobe group (NSG, n = 13), and control group (CG, n = 13). Main outcome measures Cortical activity and balance velocity were evaluated while the athletes were on the HUBER balance device. Electroencephalographic measurements of cortical activity were made at the transition from bipedal stance to single-leg stance. Results The SG showed significant increases in Cz theta and alpha values and COP-v (center of pressure velocity) between pretest and posttest (p  Conclusions Stroboscopic training may be clinically beneficial to improve balance parameters in athletes with CAI, and may have utility in sport-specific activity phases of rehabilitation to reduce visual input and increase motor control.