Unstable surfaces are commonly used during lower extremity rehabilitation exercises. These unstable surfaces generally increase muscle activation on a subconscious level, thus training the sensorimotor system.
Physical therapist researchers at Cal State University Northridge performed a study to determine the effectiveness of a balance exercise training program on strength, balance, gait, and fall risk in 23 healthy community-dwelling older adults at risk for falls.
The Thera-Band System of Progressive Balance Training, including Thera-Band Stability Trainers, Rocker Boards, and Wobble Boards can be part of a balance training program to help reduce the recurrence of ankle sprains.
Instability training, or exercising while on unstable surfaces, has become both popular and controversial. Performing resistance training on unstable surfaces such as exercise balls, balance boards, stability disks, and foam pads has been shown to reduce force output, but increase activation of “core” muscles of the trunk
Scandinavian researchers wanted to evaluate the effects of a functional proprioceptive-based exercise program several years after arthroscopic meniscectomy. 30 patients at 4 years after their surgery were randomly assigned to the functional training group or a non-exercising control group.
By Phil Page. Advance for Directors in Rehabilitation. 2005. 14(3):21
By Phil Page, 2005. Advance for Physical Therapists 14(3):21. This article describes how anterior knee pain is related to muscle imbalance and the sensorimotor system.
Physical therapy researchers in Norway compared 2 types of ACL rehabilitation in 74 post operative patients. In the study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, patients were randomly assigned to a traditional exercise program or a neuromuscular exercise program. The neuromuscular program (described in a separate study) included balance exercises on foam pads, wobble boards, and mini-trampolines.
A prospective, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) was published by researchers in Sweden to evaluate a standardized, but individually-suited training program supervised by a physiotherapist.
Neuromuscular and proprioceptive exercises are increasing in popularity during rehabilitation following sports injuries such as ankle sprains and ACL tears. These interventions typically include balance exercises such as Thera-Band® kicks and balance board training.
German researchers hypothesized that the same preventive effects of proprioceptive training may apply to other lower extremity injuries, namely hamstring, patellar tendon, and Achilles tendon injuries. They implemented a multi-station soccer-specific exercise program involving jumps and balance training on a wobble board with the Premier League female soccer team, Bayern Muenchen.
Proprioceptive exercises are commonly prescribed for lower extremity rehabilitation. More recently, sensorimotor (SMT) proprioceptive exercises have been used for shoulder rehabilitation.
Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapy. 2006. 10:77-84. (308K)
Rogers et al. 2006 quantified the Thera-Band Sensorimotor Training Progression using computerized posturography.
A systematic review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research provided a systematic review of balance training in healthy individuals.
Summary of recent, relevant Thera-Band research publications (PDF 148K)
Athletic training researchers investigated the effects of a shoulder training program with and without core stability exercises. 19 baseball players were randomly assigned to an open and closed-chain exercise program, or the same program with additional core training.