Effects of Sensory Constraints on Sensorimotor Functions in People With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Somatosensory dysfunction in people with chronic ankle instability (CAI) has been reported to influence not only peripheral performance but also sensory reweighting of central nervous system. Sensory constraints, such as visual or somatosensory perturbations originating from sway surroundings or sway surface, continuously occur during body movements. Dynamically reweighting somatosensory, visual and vestibular cues are crucial for postural stability. However, due to contradictory evidence, it is unclear how sensory constraints affect sensorimotor functions and sensory reweighting ability in individuals with CAI. Objective: To examine the impact of sensory constraints on sensorimotor functions, sensory reweighting ability, and the sensory strategy selection of people with CAI during postural control. Data Sources: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane, SPORTDiscus, and Medline. Study Selection: Two authors independently screened article titles, abstracts, and full texts to select peer-reviewed studies exploring sensory constraints on sensorimotor functions in people with CAI and healthy controls. Study Design: Meta-analyses of descriptive epidemiological study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Data Extraction: Center-of-pressure, center-of-gravity, and time-to-boundary measures that represent postural stability, and muscle activity amplitude and activation onset time were extracted. Results: A total of 43 articles were included. Compared with healthy controls, the CAI group exhibited static (Hedges’s g = 0.53) and dynamic (Hedges’s g = 1.05) deficits with visual constraint, as well as increased medial gastrocnemius activity (Hedges’s g = 1.02) during unilateral stance with visual constraint. The CAI group showed decreased sensory reweighting during unilateral stance with visual constraint (Hedges’s g = 0.26) and bilateral stance with visual and somatosensory constraints (Hedges’s g = 0.45). Conclusion: Visual constraint could alter postural control and muscle activation patterns in people with CAI. Sensory reweighting ability of those with CAI may fluctuate based on task and sensory constraints, and visual dominance strategy may help people with CAI modulate posture when visual information is reliable.