SynthesisFrontiers in physiology2025
Can exercise therapy combined with transcranial direct current stimulation further improve balance ability in individuals with chronic ankle instability? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in physiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Does transcranial direct current stimulation enhance sensorimotor recovery in chronic ankle instability? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- The Additive Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined With Exercise-Based Rehabilitation Interventions on Balance, Ankle Kinematics, and Muscle Activity in Individuals With Ankle Instability: A Systematic Review.Health science reports · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with exercise therapy enhances balance ability in chronic ankle instability (CAI) individuals. Methods: Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases up to July 10, 2025. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool version 2. Was used to assess the methodological quality of studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models, with results expressed as standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Evidence quality was evaluated using the GRADE methodology. Results: Eight studies involving 216 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Overall analysis revealed that tDCS combined with exercise therapy did not significantly improve dynamic balance (SMD: 0.08, 95% CI: -0.36 to 0.52, Conclusion: tDCS provides therapeutic benefits for dynamic balance only when combined with non-balance exercises. Current evidence is insufficient to demonstrate improvements in static balance with tDCS adjunctive therapy.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.