The Balance ability plays a crucial role in maintaining and stabilizing the body in desired postures during fundamental daily activities such as standing, sitting, and walking. The ankle joint, which directly supports body weight and resists gravity. ...
The Balance ability plays a crucial role in maintaining and stabilizing the body in desired postures during fundamental daily activities such as standing, sitting, and walking. The ankle joint, which directly supports body weight and resists gravity. is one of the most frequently injured joints. Inadequate treatment following an ankle sprain can lead to chronic conditions such as ankle instability. This study aimed to investigate the effects of differential learning on the improvement and maintenance of static and dynamic balance abilities in healthy adults and adults with chronic ankle instability. Traditional learning approaches are based on a linear cause-effect relationship, assuming that all learners follow the sam sequential practice steps. In contrast, differential learning utilizes naturally occurring fluctuations without repetitive corrections as resources for learning, making the learning process inherently nonlinear. This study sought to provide substantial evidence that a balance training program incorporating differential learning is more effective in enhancing and maintaining balance ability. Static balance ability was measured using trace length, sway velocity, and the C90 area derived from center of pressure (COP) displacement. Dynamic balance ability was assessed through the limit of stability (LOS), star excursion balance test (SEBT), and functional reach test (FRT). In Experiment 1, involving healthy adults, the differential learning-based training program showed significant time and interaction effects, although there were no significant differences between groups in most variables. In Experiment 2, involving adults with ankle instability, significant time and interaction effects were found in most static and dynamic balance measures, with some variables also showing significant group differences.