Modified Star Excursion Balance Test Performance in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability - Participant-Level Analysis

Q: What was the goal of the participant-level analysis in this study?

To determine normative values for modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) performance in a chronic ankle instability (CAI) population.

Q: How were participants grouped for the mSEBT analysis?

Participants from pooled datasets were categorized into three groups: CAI, Copers, and Healthy; CAI and Healthy groups were further sub-categorized by stance position and whether average or best scores were used.

Q: What key findings were reported for mSEBT reach distances?

Smaller reach distances occurred in specific CAI sub-groups and specific directions compared with both Healthy and Copers, while Copers exceeded CAI and Healthy reaches across directions.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick

This study performs a participant-level analysis to establish normative values for modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) performance in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Ten mSEBT datasets were pooled and participants were categorized into CAI, Copers, and Healthy groups, with CAI and Healthy further sub-categorized by stance position and reported score type. Final pooled data included 429 participants, and results show reduced mSEBT reach in specific directions for specific CAI sub-groups versus Healthy and Copers, supporting clinical assessment and rehabilitation decision-making.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Design

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Journal Information

Keywords

Received/Revised/Accepted

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research Modified Star Excursion Balance Test Performance in Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability: A Participant‐ Level Analysis Lauren Forsyth1 | Jeffrey Simpson2 | Fereshteh Pourkazemi3 | Danielle M. Torp4 | Christopher Burcal5 | Rachel M. Koldenhoven6 | Luke Donovan7 | Abbis Jaffri8 | Saeed Al Adal9 | Andrew Mitchell10 | Craig R. Childs1 1Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK | 2Department of Movement Sciences and Health, University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida, USA | 3Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia | 4College of Health Sciences, Sports Medicine Research Institute, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA | 5School of Health and Kinesiology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, USA | 6Department of Health and Human Performance, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA | 7Department of Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA | 8Department of Physical Therapy, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA | 9Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia | 10Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research, University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, UK Correspondence: Lauren Forsyth ([lauren.forsyth@strath.ac.uk](lauren.forsyth@strath.ac.uk)) Received: 12 August 2025 | Revised: 25 November 2025 | Accepted: 11 December 2025 Keywords: balance | chronic ankle instability | rehabilitation | star excursion balance test ABSTRACT Introduction: For 1 in 5 individuals, an initial ankle sprain results in chronic ankle instability (CAI) . Research is inconclusive as to whether individuals with CAI display decreased stability performance. This study conducted a participant‐level analysis to determine normative values for modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) performance in a CAI population. Design: Participant‐level analysis. Methods: Ten datasets of mSEBT data were combined and participants categorised into one of three groups: individuals with CAI, Copers and Healthy participants. Maximal reach distances were analysed in the anterior (ANT), posterolateral (PL), posteromedial (PM) and composite (COMP) directions. The CAI and Healthy groups were sub‐categorised into 4 groups depending on the stance position and whether the average or best scores were reported. Results: The final pooled data consisted of 429 participants (202 CAI; 181 Healthy; 46 Coper). The 4 CAI sub‐groups recorded a mean reach of 66. 53%–76 .42%(ANT), 54.67%–87 . 16%(PM), 44. 55%–83 .01%(PL) and 55.25%–82 . 19%(COMP) . Smaller reach distances were reported in Group 1's ANT, PL and COMP reaches and Group 2's ANT reach (p < 0.05) compared to the Healthy group. Copers exceeded CAI and Healthy reaches for all reaches. Reach distances in the ANT direction were generally the smallest for the CAI group and ANT and PL directions for the Healthy and Coper groups. Conclusion: Reduced mSEBT reach was performed in specific directions for specific sub‐groups only for the CAI population compared to both Healthy and Coper. The normative data can inform clinical practice and aid decision‐making regarding dynamic balance for assessment and rehabilitation purposes. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2026 The Author(s) . Journal of Foot and Ankle Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Podiatry Association and The Royal College of Podiatry. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 2026; 19:e70115 1 of 13 [https://doi.org/10.1002/jfa2.70115](https://doi.org/10.1002/jfa2.70115) 1 | Introduction Lateral ankle sprains are the most common lower limb injury, w

FAQs

What was the goal of the participant-level analysis in this study?

To determine normative values for modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT) performance in a chronic ankle instability (CAI) population.

How were participants grouped for the mSEBT analysis?

Participants from pooled datasets were categorized into three groups: CAI, Copers, and Healthy; CAI and Healthy groups were further sub-categorized by stance position and whether average or best scores were used.

What key findings were reported for mSEBT reach distances?

Smaller reach distances occurred in specific CAI sub-groups and specific directions compared with both Healthy and Copers, while Copers exceeded CAI and Healthy reaches across directions.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick