Balance Board vs Balance Ball: Which One is Superior in Enhancing Static And Dynamic Balance Abilities on Healthy University Students

Gülbin Rudarli Nalçakan,Yeliz Yol

doi:10.18826/useeabd.715111

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two different unstable surfaces balance training on static and dynamic balance abilities. Methods: The 52 healthy active university students were randomly divided into three groups: the training groups exercised on the firm (balance board) or soft ground (balance ball, BOSU®) for 16 min for 3 days per week for eight weeks, involving structured balance exercises. The control group did not perform the balance exercises in this process. All of the groups were tested static and dynamic balance tests by a computerized balance system before and after the training period. Tests were carried out using a single and double-leg stance either with the eyes open or closed. Results: One-way and mixed-design analyses of variance tests indicated that significantly similar improvements were observed in the exercise groups’ static (ellipse area and perimeter length) and dynamic (stability index and average track error) balance (p 0.05). Conclusion: Finding shows that using balance board and balance ball as balance training intervention tools have similar effectiveness for static and dynamic balance enhancement in healthy active university studen ts.

Highlights

Human postural demands and balance control during mobility and rotational motion are of primary interest for athletic performance and daily life and for avoiding fractures and injuries caused by balance disorder in children and the elderly (Kibele, Granacher, Muehlbauer, & Behm, 2015; Ogaya, Ikezoe, Soda, & Ichihashi, 2011).Balance is generally defined as the ability to maintain the body’s center of gravity within its base of support (Hrysomallis, 2011)
Studies on improving postural control and balance have gained gradual importance in rehabilitation and prevention of sports injuries and have focused on knees and ankles. It has been shown with strong evidence that training intended to improve balance can be performed on different grounds with different equipment; balance training on stable and unstable surfaces can develop dynamic balance ability as well as static balance ability and that it could reduce the risk of injury in the lower extremity (Zech et al, 2010; Di Stefano, Clark, & Padua, 2009)
The mean age, height, weight and body mass index (BMI) measured prior to training program were similar in all groups (p > 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Human postural demands and balance control during mobility and rotational motion are of primary interest for athletic performance and daily life and for avoiding fractures and injuries caused by balance disorder in children and the elderly (Kibele, Granacher, Muehlbauer, & Behm, 2015; Ogaya, Ikezoe, Soda, & Ichihashi, 2011).Balance is generally defined as the ability to maintain the body’s center of gravity within its base of support (Hrysomallis, 2011). Studies on improving postural control and balance have gained gradual importance in rehabilitation and prevention of sports injuries and have focused on knees and ankles. In the literature, it has been shown with strong evidence that training intended to improve balance can be performed on different grounds with different equipment; balance training on stable and unstable surfaces can develop dynamic balance ability as well as static balance ability and that it could reduce the risk of injury in the lower extremity (Zech et al, 2010; Di Stefano, Clark, & Padua, 2009). Improvements occurring in proprioception and neuromuscular control are considered to be mainly responsible for this progress (Zech et al, 2010)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion