Effect of ankle joint proprioception level on the balance ability

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between ankle proprioceptive sensory level and balance ability. Healthy ten volunteers participated in this study. Force sense of the proprioception was evaluated using electromyogram (EMG) on the Tibialis anterior (TA) and Gastrocnemius lateral (GCL) when a subject performed dorsiflexion (DF) and plantar flexion (PF). Position sense of the proprioception was evaluated using a 3D motion capture system. Subjects’ balance abilities were tested using the Berg balance scale (BBS) and Clinical Test for Sensory Interaction and Balance (CTSIB). We found that the force and position sense have very low correlation, and the force sense of the GCL had a reverse relationship with the results of BBS and CTSIB.