Abstract

Introduction: In volleyball about 90% of players ever suffer an ankle sprain, being repetitive episodes of main complications. It is suggested that neuromuscular training could improve the functionality of the ankle and decrease the risk of a sprain. Objective: To determine the effects of a neuromuscular training on postural control in college volleyball players with functional ankle instability (FAI). Method: Quasi-experimental research. The sample was composed of 12 college volleyball male players between 18 and 23 years old. A neuromuscular training of four weeks was carried out and it was distributed in three weekly sessions from 15 to 25 min, on non-consecutive days, totaling 12 sessions. The volume of training was regulated using a progressive periodization and focused mainly on the lower limb, performing it prior to the regular training of the volleyball players. Pre and post intervention postural control were evaluated on a force platform in conditions of open eyes (OE) and closed eyes (CE). From this evaluation, the following variables of the center of pressure (CP) were calculated: Area, mean velocity, medio-latera (ML) velocity and anteroposterior (AP) velocity. T-student test was applied for comparisons with an alpha level of 0.05. Results: In OE there was a significant decrease in the ML velocity (p = 0.036). In CE significant differences between pre and post intervention were observed in mean velocity (p = 0.043), AP velocity (p = 0.019) and ML velocity (p = 0.027). Conclusion: A four-week training neuromuscular improved postural control on college volleyball players with IFT included in this study.