This study aims to assess the comparative efficacy of two distinct balancing training intervention strategies, namely, Wii Fit Balance Training (WFT) and Reactive Balance Training (RBT), in reducing ...older individuals' fear of falling, as well as enhancing their balance and functional mobility.
One of the two groups was randomly assigned a total of 45 individuals. The first group received Wii Fit training, whereas the second group engaged in reactive balancing challenges. The efficiency of the techniques was evaluated using three outcome measures: the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB), Scale Time up and Go Test (TUG), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). To facilitate the comparison between the groups, an independent student
-test was employed.
Both experimental groups showed significant improvements compared to their respective control groups in the research study (BBS:
= 0.023;
= 0.036; FAB:
= 0.027;
= 0.044; and TUG:
= 0.017;
= 0.025).
It can be inferred that both reactive balance training and Wii Fit training have the potential to serve as efficacious treatment interventions aimed at mitigating balance deterioration among older individuals.
Objective The Objective Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries in athletes. One of the limitations of people with chronic ankle instability is the lack of postural control. Balance and ...coordination training are among the most common interventions for people with chronic ankle instability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of balance training on postural control in athletes with chronic ankle instability. Methods Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that examined the effects of balance training on postural control in athletes with chronic ankle instability were searched through the Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane and PEDro databases using keywords and concepts of postural control, balance training, and ankle instability from inception until April 2022. The quality of studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. Results Eight RCTs were included in this study, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Balance exercises reduced postural sway, decreased the distribution of center of mass, improved the overall body balance index and anterior-posterior balance index in the Biodex balance system, increased the duration of balance maintenance, and reduced the number of errors in the foot lift test when checking static postural control, and improved the reaching distance in the star balance test when checking dynamic postural control. Conclusion Four to six weeks of balance training can improve postural control in both static and dynamic situations in athletes with chronic ankle instability.
Falls are the leading cause of injuries among older adults. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) is an innovative approach to fall prevention that aims to improve the reactive balance response ...following perturbations such as slipping and tripping. Many of these PBT studies have targeted reactive balance after slipping or tripping, despite both contributing to a large proportion of older adult falls. The goal of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of PBT targeting slipping and tripping on laboratory-induced slips and trips. To build upon prior work, the present study included: 1) a control group; 2) separate training and assessment sessions; 3) PBT methods potentially more amenable for use outside the lab compared to methods employed elsewhere, and 4) individualized training for older adult participants.
Thirty-four community-dwelling, healthy older adults (61-75 years) were assigned to PBT or a control intervention using minimization. Using a parallel design, reactive balance (primary outcome) and fall incidence were assessed before and after four sessions of BRT or a control intervention involving general balance exercises. Assessments involved exposing participants to an unexpected laboratory-induced slip or trip. Reactive balance and fall incidence were compared between three mutually-exclusive groups: 1) baseline participants who experienced a slip (or trip) before either intervention, 2) post-control participants who experienced a slip (or trip) after the control intervention, and 3) post-PBT participants who experienced a slip (or trip) after PBT. Neither the participants nor investigators were blinded to group assignment.
All 34 participants completed all four sessions of their assigned intervention, and all 34 participants were analyzed. Regarding slips, several measures of reactive balance were improved among post-PBT participants when compared to baseline participants or post-control participants, and fall incidence among post-PBT participants (18%) was lower than among baseline participants (80%). Regarding trips, neither reactive balance nor fall incidence differed between groups.
PBT targeting slipping and tripping improved reactive balance and fall incidence after laboratory-induced slips. Improvements were not observed after laboratory-induced trips. The disparity in efficacy between slips and trip may have resulted from differences in dosage and specificity between slip and trip training.
Name of Clinical Trial Registry: clinicaltrials.gov Trial Registration number: NCT04308239. Date of Registration: March 13, 2020 (retrospectively registered).
Balance training is essential for physical rehabilitation procedures, as it can improve functional mobility and enhance cognitive coordination. However, conventional balance training methods may have ...limitations in terms of motivation, real-time objective feedback, and personalization, which a virtual reality (VR) setup may provide a better alternative. In this work, we present an immersive VR training environment for lower extremity balance rehabilitation with real-time guidance and feedback. The VR training environment immerses the user in a 3D ice rink model where a virtual coach (agent) leads them through a series of balance poses, and the user controls a trainee avatar with their own movements. Here we developed two coaching styles: positive-reinforcement and autonomous-supportive, and two viewpoints of the trainee avatar: first-person and third-person. The proposed environment was evaluated in a user study with healthy, non-clinical participants (n = 16, 24.4 ± 5.7 years old, 9 females). Our results show that participants showed stronger performance in the positive-reinforcement style compared to the autonomous-supportive style. Additionally, in the third-person viewpoint, the participants exhibited more stability in the positive-reinforcement style compared to the autonomous-supportive style. For viewpoint, participants exhibited stronger performance in the first-person viewpoint compared to third-person in the autonomous-supportive style, while they were comparable in the positive-reinforcement style. We observed no significant effects on the foot height and number of mistakes. Furthermore, we report the analysis of user performance with balance training poses and subjective measures based on questionnaires to assess the user experience, usability, and task load. The proposed VR balance training could offer an interactive, adaptive, and engaging environment and open new potential research directions for lower extremity rehabilitation.
Abstract
Background
This study examined whether reactive balance training (exposures to slips and trips) could improve balance recovery and reduce perturbation-induced falls among older adults.
...Methods
Forty-four community-dwelling older adults participated in a parallel, blinded randomized controlled trial conducted in a research institute in Sydney, Australia in 2017–2018 (ACTRN12617000564358). The intervention group (n = 22) underwent three 40 minutes sessions (total 120 minutes) that exposed them to (1) 20 trips, (2) 20 slips, and (3) 10 trips and 10 slips in mixed order, over 2 days. The control group (n = 22) received one 40 minutes session of sham training. The primary outcome was falls (>30% body weight in harness) when exposed to trips and slips at post-assessment.
Results
At post-assessment, a total of 51 falls (23 and 27 falls from induced slips and trips, respectively) were recorded in the laboratory. Relative to the control group, the intervention group experienced fewer total falls (rate ratio RR = 0.40, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.22–0.76), slip falls (RR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.12–0.90) and trip falls (RR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.21–1.12). Eight participants reported adverse events (5 in the intervention group and 3 in the control group) which were related mainly to discomfort caused by a suboptimal harness used in the initial stages of the trial.
Conclusions
The reactive balance training reduced perturbation-induced falls by 60% indicating improved balance recovery from trips and slips. A comfortable safety harness system is essential to prevent discomfort. Reactive balance training may complement traditional exercise programs in fall prevention interventions.
The study aimed to investigate the effect of combined balance and plyometric training on the change of direction (COD) performance of badminton athletes. Sixteen elite male badminton players ...volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to a balance-plyometric group (BP:
n
= 8) and plyometric group (PL:
n
= 8). The BP group performed balance combined with plyometric training three times a week over 6 weeks; while the PL group undertook only plyometric training three times a week during the same period. Meanwhile, both groups were given the same technical training. All participants were tested to assess the COD ability before and after the training period: Southeast Missouri (SEMO) test and 5-0-5 test, dynamic balance ability (Y-Balance test, YBT), and reactive strength index (RSI). Repeated-measure ANOVA revealed that after the intervention there was a significant time × group interaction for 5-0-5 COD test, YBT of both legs and RSI (
p
< 0.05, partial η
2
= 0.26–0.58) due to the better performance observed at post-test compared with a pre-test for the BP group effect size (ES) = 1.20–1.76, and the improvement was higher than that of the PL group. The change in SEMO test did not differ between BP and PL (
p
< 0.159, partial η
2
= 0.137), but the magnitude of the with-group improvement for BP (ES = 1.55) was higher than that of PL (ES = 0.81). These findings suggest that combined training could further improve the COD performance of badminton athletes than plyometric training alone and might provide fitness trainers a more efficient COD training alternative.
Youth athletes with intensive sports participation are at an increased risk of sustaining injuries. Neuromuscular training programs reduce sports-related injury risk in this population, however, the ...dose-response relationship is largely unknown. Thus, the aim of this meta-analysis was to identify the optimal frequency, volume, duration, and period of neuromuscular training to prevent injuries in youth athletes.
Computerized database searches (PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, The Cochrane Library, PEDro) were conducted in January 2017, with search terms related to youth sports, neuromuscular training, and injury prevention. Eligible trials (i) evaluated a neuromuscular training program; (ii) included youth athletes of 21 years or younger; (iii) had an analytical design (RCTs, quasi-experimental, cohort studies); (iv) contained original data; (v) and provided injury data. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed quality of eligible studies. Injury rate ratios (IRRs) for lower extremity injuries were pooled meta-analytically, and moderator analyses examined the effect of training frequency, duration, volume, and period.
Data from 16 trials yielded an overall risk reduction of 42% with neuromuscular training (IRR = 0.58, 95%CI 0.47-0.72). Training frequencies of two (IRR = 0.50; 95%CI 0.29-0.86) or three times (IRR = 0.40; 95%CI 0.31-0.53) per week revealed the largest risk reduction, and a weekly training volume of more than 30 min tended to be more effective compared to lower volumes. Programs with 10-15 min (IRR = 0.55; 95%CI 0.42-0.72) session duration produced effects comparable to those with longer session duration (IRR = 0.60; 95%CI 0.46-0.76). Interventions lasting more than 6 months were not superior to shorter programs.
This meta-analysis revealed that NMT performed in short bouts of 10-15 min, two to three times per week, with a weekly training volume of 30-60 min had the largest preventive effect for lower extremity injuries in youth athletes. These effects can be achieved within 20-60 sessions and training periods of <6 months. The present results are derived from a relatively small number of studies with heterogeneous methodological quality and should be treated with caution. The study was a priori registered at PROSPERO (CRD42016053473).
Aim:
To identify the effects of balance and strength training on function, ankle instability and dynamic balance in people with chronic ankle instability.
Method:
The search was conducted on ...randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of balance training or strength training in people with chronic ankle instability compared to a control group. Therefore, a systematic electronic search was performed until April 2021 in Pubmed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Embase databases. Moreover, an additional search was further performed checking the reference lists of the selected articles. The main outcomes were ankle instability, functionality, and dynamic balance. Finally, a qualitative and quantitative synthesis was performed.
Results:
Fifteen randomized controlled trials with 457 volunteers were included. Compared to regular exercise, balance training demonstrated to be more effective in terms of improving functionality (0.81 (0.48, 1.14)), ankle instability (0.77 (0.27, 1.26)), and dynamic balance (0.83 (0.57, 1.10)) outcomes. However, when compared to strength training, the effectiveness of balance training was only greater in terms of the functionality outcome (0.49 (0.06, 0.92)), since no differences were found for instability (0.43 (0.00, 0.85)) and dynamic balance (0.21 (−0.15, 0.58)).
Conclusions:
Based on fair-to-high quality evidence, balance training significantly improves functionality, instability, and dynamic balance outcomes in people with chronic ankle instability Moreover, results of the comparison between balance training versus strength training suggest that the former achieves greater benefits for functionality, but not for instability and dynamic balance.
Systematic review registration number:
CRD42021224179.
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