There is strong evidence to suggest that balance training can improve static balance ability on stable and unstable surfaces , as well as dynamic balance ability .
Elite athletes have the potential to improve static balance on an unstable surface and dynamic balance ability , but a ceiling effect appears to occur with stable balance ability on a stable surface .
Balance training programs performed at least 10 minutes per day , 3 days per week , for 4 weeks that incorporate various methods of balance training appear to improve balance ability .
Types of balance training included the use of tilt boards , unstable surfaces , and dynamic body movements while maintaining a static stance
Balance is considered a risk factor for several injuries and consequently a focus of many strengthening , injury prevention , and rehabilitation programs .
There are several studies that have evaluated the ability of balance training to improve balance ability in a healthy population with no general consensus .
We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of balance training on improving various forms of balance ability in a healthy population .
Neuromuscular training improves single-limb stability in young female athletes.
STUDY DESIGN Controlled single-group pretest/posttest design . OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine if a 6-week neuromuscular training program design ed to decrease the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament ( ACL ) injuries would improve single-limb postural stability in young female athletes . We hypothesized neuromuscular training would result in an improvement in postural stability , with the greatest improvement taking place in the medial-lateral direction . BACKGROUND Balance training has become a common component of programs design ed to prevent ACL injury . Rehabilitation programs can improve postural stability following ACL injury and reconstruction ; however , there is limited information available which quantifies improvement of postural stability following neuromuscular training design ed to prevent ACL injuries in a healthy population . METHODS AND MEASURES Forty-one healthy female high school athletes ( mean age , 15.3 years ; age range , 13 - 17 years ) participated in this study . Single-limb postural stability for both lower extremities was assessed with a Biodex Stability System . The neuromuscular training program consisted of three 90-minute training sessions per week for 6 weeks . Following the completion of the training program , each subject was re-evaluated to determine change in total , anterior-posterior , and medial-lateral single-limb stability . Two-way analysis of variance models were used to determine differences between pretraining and posttraining and between limbs . RESULTS The subjects showed a significant improvement in single-limb total stability ( P = .004 ) and anterior-posterior stability ( P = .001 ) , but not medial-lateral stability ( P = .650 ) for both the right and left lower extremity following training . In addition , the subjects demonstrated significantly better total postural stability on the right side as compared to the left ( P = .026 ) . CONCLUSIONS A 6-week neuromuscular training program design ed to decrease the incidence of ACL injuries improves objective measures of total and anterior-posterior single-limb postural stability in high school female athletes
There is strong evidence to suggest that balance training can improve static balance ability on stable and unstable surfaces , as well as dynamic balance ability .
Elite athletes have the potential to improve static balance on an unstable surface and dynamic balance ability , but a ceiling effect appears to occur with stable balance ability on a stable surface .
Balance training programs performed at least 10 minutes per day , 3 days per week , for 4 weeks that incorporate various methods of balance training appear to improve balance ability .
Types of balance training included the use of tilt boards , unstable surfaces , and dynamic body movements while maintaining a static stance
Balance is considered a risk factor for several injuries and consequently a focus of many strengthening , injury prevention , and rehabilitation programs .
There are several studies that have evaluated the ability of balance training to improve balance ability in a healthy population with no general consensus .
We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of balance training on improving various forms of balance ability in a healthy population .