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 .
Balance training for persons with functionally unstable ankles.
STUDY DESIGN A nonr and omized 2-group pretest-posttest design . OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of a 4-week balance training program during stance on a single leg . BACKGROUND Individuals who have experienced multiple episodes of inversion ankle sprains often participate in balance training programs . Balance training is performed to treat existing proprioceptive deficits and to restore ankle joint stability , presumably by retraining altered afferent neuromuscular pathways . The effectiveness of such programs on individuals with functionally unstable ankles has yet to be established . METHODS AND MEASURES Prior to and following training , subjects with self-reported functionally unstable ankles ( 5 women and 8 men , mean age = 21.9 + /- 3.1 years ) and nonimpaired subjects ( 6 women and 7 men , mean age = 21.2 + /- 2.5 years ) completed a  static balance assessment  for both limbs as well as the  ankle joint functional assessment tool question naire ( AJFAT ) . The subjects from both groups participated in a unilateral , multilevel , static and dynamic balance training program 3 times a week for 4 weeks . Subjects from the experimental group trained only the involved limb , and the nonimpaired group  trained a r and omly selected limb . A stability index ( SI ) was calculated during the balance assessment to indicate the amount of platform motion . Compared to low stability indices , high stability indices indicate greater platform motion during stance and therefore less stability . RESULTS Following training , subjects from both groups demonstrated significant improvements in balance ability . When balance was assessed at a low resistance to platform tilt ( stability level 2 ) , the posttraining scores of both the subjects with unstable ankles ( mean SI = 2.63 + /- 1.92 ) and the nonimpaired subjects ( mean SI = 2.69 + /- 2.32 ) were significantly better than their pretraining scores ( mean SIs = 5.93 + /- 3.65 and 4.67 + /- 3.43 , respectively ) . Assessed at a high resistance to platform tilt ( stability level 6 ) , the posttraining scores of both subjects with unstable ankles ( mean SI = 1.27 + /- 0.66 ) and the nonimpaired subjects ( mean SI = 1.37 + /- 0.66 ) were significantly better than their pretraining scores ( mean SIs = 2.30 + /- 1.88 and 2.04 + /- 1.43 , respectively ) . Additionally , the posttraining AJFAT scores of subjects with unstable ankles ( 25.78 + /- 3.80 ) and the nonimpaired subjects ( 29.15 + /- 5.27 ) were significantly greater than their pretraining scores ( 17.11 + /- 3.44 and 22.92 + /- 5.22 , respectively ) , indicating an overall improvement in perceived ankle joint functional stability . CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that balance training is an effective means of improving joint proprioception and single-leg st and ing ability in subjects with unstable and nonimpaired ankles
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 .