Effect of Stroboscopic Balance Training on Chronic Ankle Instability in Volleyball Players

March 1, 2026 updated by: Berivan Beril Kılıç, Biruni University

Investigation of the Efficacy of Balance Training Program Applied With Stroboscopic Glasses in Female Volleyball Players With Chronic Ankle Instability

Effect of Stroboscopic Balance Training on Chronic Ankle Instability in Volleyball Players

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries in both athletes and the general population. A large-scale systematic review reported that ankle sprains account for approximately 80% of injuries occurring among athletes in most sports. Among volleyball players, ankle sprains are the most prevalent injury, constituting about 41% of all volleyball-related injuries. In athletes, performing certain technical or sport-specific tasks that require attention, such as running, sudden changes of direction, or landing, is associated with an increased risk of ankle sprain. Approximately 20% of acute ankle sprains progress to chronic conditions. Chronic ankle sprains lead to serious proprioceptive dysfunctions, including deficits in joint position sense and delayed peroneal muscle reaction time, resulting in significant ankle instability and balance impairment. Balance training in individuals with chronic ankle instability is concerned with improving postural control and has been recognized as an effective therapeutic approach for this population. Although there is evidence supporting the effectiveness of balance training in improving sensorimotor deficits in individuals with chronic ankle instability, including static and dynamic postural stability, muscle strength, and reinjury rates, reliance on visual information remains unchanged after conventional rehabilitation. The inability of visual input to utilize somatosensory feedback from the ankle joint has been identified as a factor contributing to recurrent ankle sprains in these individuals. Conventional interventions for chronic ankle instability do not address the need to correct altered somatosensory deficits following an ankle sprain. Therefore, a specific treatment option focusing on this neurophysiological dysfunction would be beneficial for these patients. Kim et al. reported the effect of stroboscopic vision in reactivating visual input in individuals with chronic ankle instability. Stroboscopic vision involves the use of special glasses in which the lenses alternate between transparent and opaque at intervals of 100 milliseconds, thereby reducing visual feedback. Balance training with stroboscopic glasses offers a different approach compared to conventional balance training. Stroboscopic balance training is a technique aimed at manipulating visual perception. In this method, the stroboscopic glasses intermittently block light, affecting the brain's processing of visual information. Consequently, the brain must process seen objects less continuously and less clearly. Stroboscopic glasses make rapid movements and changing situations more difficult to perceive, thereby challenging the balance system further. Conventional balance training, on the other hand, involves methods used to improve static and dynamic balance skills. This training approach aims to strengthen the balance mechanism through the use of specialized balance devices, exercises, and techniques. For example, balance boards, balance pads, trampolines, and various movement exercises are commonly used tools in conventional balance training. This method works on factors such as muscle strength, postural control, and coordination to improve static and dynamic balance control. The main difference between balance training with stroboscopic glasses and conventional balance training is the use of glasses that manipulate visual perception. These glasses challenge the brain's processing, thereby providing greater stimulation to the balance mechanism. In contrast, conventional balance training uses general exercises and tools to improve balance skills and does not focus on altering visual perception. Stroboscopic glasses have previously been used to improve sports performance in baseball players with positive results. They have also been incorporated into rehabilitation programs for individuals with chronic ankle instability, demonstrating beneficial outcomes. Although chronic ankle instability is a common problem among volleyball players, to our knowledge, no study has investigated a rehabilitation program using stroboscopic balance training in female volleyball players with chronic ankle instability.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • İ̇stanbul
      • Fatih, İ̇stanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Biruni University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Were professional female volleyball players.
  • Had a history of at least two episodes of pain and swelling in the same ankle.
  • Experienced at least one ankle sprain within the last six months.
  • Exhibited persistent symptoms during functional activities and were free from symptoms related to any previous lower-extremity injuries.
  • Reported a feeling of instability in the ankle joint.
  • Had no other lower-extremity musculoskeletal injuries in the past six months.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Reported any vestibular or balance-related dysfunction.
  • Had any systemic disease.
  • Experienced an acute ankle sprain within the past six weeks.
  • Had a history of fractures in the lower extremities.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Stroboscopic Glassess Group
The athletes assigned to Group A underwent an eight-week balance training program using stroboscopic glasses, conducted twice a week under the supervision of a physiotherapist.
Device: Balance training with stroboscopic glasses
Participants in Group A completed a supervised, multi-modal balance training program while wearing Senaptec stroboscopic glasses (Beaverton, Oregon), set to a duty cycle of 100 ms transparent followed by 150 ms opaque. The glasses use liquid crystal lenses that alternate between clear and nearly opaque states when electrically activated and can operate in both binocular and monocular modes, with settings adjustable via a Bluetooth application. The program, targeting static and dynamic balance in individuals with chronic ankle instability, consisted of six progressively challenging exercises performed indoors, barefoot, in small groups, lasting approximately 20 minutes per session, twice weekly for eight weeks. Exercises were completed in two sets with 30-second rests between exercises and 2-minute rests between sets, and progression was adjusted based on participant performance.
Active Comparator: Control Group
The athletes assigned to Group B underwent an eight-week traditional balance training program, conducted twice a week under the supervision of a physiotherapist.
Other: Traditional Balance Training

The intervention consisted of a supervised, multi-modal balance training program targeting differentaspects of static and dynamic balance for participants with chronic ankle instability. The program included six progressively challenging exercises, administered under the supervision of a physiotherapist. Each session lasted approximately 20 minutes, and participants completed two sessions per week for eight weeks.

The training was conducted indoors, barefoot, in small groups, with exercises performed in two sets, including 30-second rests between exercises and 2-minute rests between sets. Progression was implemented according to participants' performance throughout the program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dynamic Balance Assessments
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Y Balance Test
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Dynamic Balance Assessments
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Performanze Balance System
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Vertical Jump Test
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Single Leg Hop Test
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Active Joint Position Sense
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Functional Assessments - Foot and Ankle Ability Measure-Sports Subscale (FAAM-Sport)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
Functional Assessments - Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks
From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Biruni University

Collaborators

Health Institutes of Türkiye

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 20, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 20, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 1, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 1, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 5

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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