Effectivity of Slackline-Training in Physiotherapy

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Slacklines have been established in the last few years as a training equipment in sports such as climbing, skiing and others to increase postural control. Furthermore, slacklines are used in physiotherapy in terms of stabilizing training such as wobbling boards. However, if slackline training is effective in rehabilitation has not been investigated yet. Therefore, to goal of this study will be to investigate the effectivity of slackline training in physiotherapy compared to a wobbling board with a single tilting axis. Outcomes will be electromyographic-data and the kinetics of the whole body.

Detailed Description
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Comparing beginners pre-training (less than 1 hour of slackline training) to post-training (9 times 30 minutes of individual, controlled training) to investigate the effects of balance training on a slackline. Comparing beginners (less than 1 hour of slackline training) to professionals (more than 100 hours of slackline training) to investigate differences in balance strategies. Comparing professionals during slacklining under two different conditions of their visual anchor: fix vs. moving. This to investigate the role of the visual system during balance reactions. Comparing slackline training versus a demanding training standing-on-1-leg. We do compare Y-balance-performance, performance on the MFT challenge disc, each compared with simultanousely recording body Sway (lower trunk) with SwayStar. Muscle activity will be investigated by absolute amplitude (mV) and frequency to get an idea of which muscle fibers are acting during the task and how the activation pattern may change through motor learning. Body kinematics should show movement strategies especially differences in roll and pitch control of the body.

Official Title
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Effectivity of Slackline-Training in Physiotherapy - a Randomised Controlled Study

Conditions
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Healthy Volunteers, Persons With no Known Significant Health Problems

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Slackline
* Device: Wobbling Board
* Device: Pre-training
* Device: Fix visual anchor
* Device: Moving visual anchor
* Device: Post-training
* Device: Slackline vs. standing-on-1-leg vs. control


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: young healthy, 18-30 years old small operations on muscle-skeletal-system on upper extremities birth control pill Exclusion Criteria: any actual injuries on lower extremities injuries on lower extremities less than one year back operations of muscle-skeletal-system at shoulder/neck, trunk/pelvis and lower extremities fear of falling any medications cardiac pacemaker or cardiac arrhythmia pregnancy skeletal anomaly appendicitis less then 2 years back

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 30 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Interventional Model Description: different protocol-arms: crossover for comparing slackline vs. wobble board vs. flamingo balance task parallel for slackline training vs. enhanced standing-on-1-leg training
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: professionals<br>balancing on the slackline / wobbling board 3 times by 30 seconds balancing on the slackline with a fix visual anchor / moving visual anchor 3 times by 30 seconds | Device: Slackline<br>* Slackbase PRO CE: certificated by european law for medical devices (EG Richtlinie 93/42/EWG)<br>* Other names: http://medi-lines.com/slackbasepro/;Device: Wobbling Board<br>* Wobbling Board CE: certificated by european law for medical devices (EG Richtlinie 93/42/EWG)<br>* Other names: http://www.originell.net/index.php?_disp=40;Device: Fix visual anchor<br>* Professionals have to gaze at a fixed visual anchor during the slacklining.<br>Device: Moving visual anchor<br>* Professionals have to gaze at a moving visual anchor during the slacklining.<br>|
| Experimental: beginners<br>balancing on the slackline / wobbling board 3 times by 30 seconds pre-training compared to post-training | Device: Slackline<br>* Slackbase PRO CE: certificated by european law for medical devices (EG Richtlinie 93/42/EWG)<br>* Other names: http://medi-lines.com/slackbasepro/;Device: Wobbling Board<br>* Wobbling Board CE: certificated by european law for medical devices (EG Richtlinie 93/42/EWG)<br>* Other names: http://www.originell.net/index.php?_disp=40;Device: Pre-training<br>* First investigation of the beginners with less than 1 hour experience with slacklining.<br>Device: Post-training<br>* Second investigation of the beginners occurs after a training session of 9 times 30 minutes within a few weeks.<br>Device: Slackline vs. standing-on-1-leg vs. control<br>* beginners have to train 9 times  15minutes within y few weeks.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Muscle activity using surface electromyography device. 1. measuring amplitude of muscle activation in mV (millivolt) 2. measuring frequency pattern of muscle activation to distinguish /detect activation of slow and fast muscle fibers | single investigation for arms: BEGINNERS: a. slackline compared to wobble board PROFESIONALS: slackline compared to wobble board fix visual anchor compared to moving visual anchor double investigation: 1. BEGINNERS a. pre-training compared to post-training, expected training period average of 6 weeks, totally 9 trainings of 30 minutes each | average of 6 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Whole body kinematics (composite outcome measure): a. calculating joint angles [deg & deg/s] b. calculating absolute and relative body part movements (such as trunk, pelvis, head): tilts & translations [mm, mm/s] | single investigation for arms: BEGINNERS: a. slackline compared to wobble board PROFESIONALS: slackline compared to wobble board fix visual anchor compared to moving visual anchor double investigation: 1. BEGINNERS a. pre-training compared to post-training, expected training period average of 6 weeks, totally 9 trainings of 30 minutes each | average of 6 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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slackline, postural control, postural balance