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Balance Training Activities
Balance Training Activities
Balance Training Activities
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BalanceTraining Activities
BENEFITS OF BALANCE TRAINING
Balance training activities can be- used Lo:
Improve trunk stability, biomechanical alignment, and symmetrical weight distribution
Improve awareness and control of center of mass (COM) and limits of stability (LOS)
Improve musculoskeletal responses necessary for balance including functional range of
motion (ROM) and strength
Promote use of normal balance strategies and synergies during static and dynamic activities
Improve utilization of sensory (somatoscnsory, visual, vestibular, systems for balance and
challenge CNS sensory integration mechanisms
Teach safety awareness and compensation
Motor control goals. Skill level, static and dynamic balance control. Functional outcomes
" The patient demonstrates appropriate functional balance during standing and walking.
The patient performs activity-of-daily-living skills (ADLs) safely during standing and
walking without loss of balance or falls.
Gait Activities
The patient begins with assisted walking, using parallel bars or walking near a wall for
light touch-down support; the base of support (BOS) is normal and the eyes are open
lEO). ' Assistive devices (for example, a straight or slant cane) can be used to assist
balance. A . swimming pool provides an ideal supportive environment for initial walking
for the patient vith balance dysfunction (for example, the patient with ataxia).
( Intermediate-Level Balance Activities
These activities arc appropriate for the patient who is able to withstand moderate chal-'
lenges to balance.
Movement Transitions
Sit-to-stand transfers (chair rises) can be varied by changing the height of the seat from high
to low, the speed of the transitions, or the UE supportfrom using a chair with armrests to no
armrests.
Standing Activities
Activities that can be practiced at this level include:
Exaggerated arm swings
Functional reach activities
Reduced BOSfeet together
Eyes open (EO) to eyes closed (EC) Romherg position
Heel offs, toe offs, or single-leg standsholding on with light touch-down support
of one hand, progressing to no hands Marching in place (high stepping)holding on with
light touch-down support,
progressing from both hands to one hand Partial squats Partial lungesone foot advanced
with the trunk upright and the hips in neutral
position, with the knee flexed on the advanced limb (Fig. 15-2)
Gait Activities
Activities at the intermediate level include:
Gait with narrowed BOS Gait with wide turns to right and left
Side-steppingholding on with light touch-down support, progressing from both hands to
one hand