A balance board is a device used as a circus skill, for recreation, balance training, athletic training, brain development, therapy, musical training and other kinds of personal development.
User usually
The user usually stands on, usually with the left and right foot at opposite ends of the board. The user's body must stay balanced enough to keep the board's edges from touching the ground and to keep from falling off the board.
BALANCE BOARD TRAINING IS EFFECTIVE FOR THE PREVENTION OF ANKLE SPRAINS.
The majority of contemporary sports entails physical activity, and relatively recently the potential of these physical activities in the prevention of chronic diseases has been recognised. This has caused that today people of all ages are encouraged to have a physically active lifestyle and to actively participate in sports. However, participation in sports also has its downside in the form of injuries. Acute lateral ankle ligament injuries (ankle sprains) are the most common injuries across a wide variety of sports. Athletes who suffer from ankle sprains are
more likely to re-injure the same
ankle, which can result in disability and can lead to chronic pain or instability in 20 to 50% of these cases. This high incidence of ankle sprains and their negative consequences for future sports participation, calls for preventive measures.
Balance Measuring Tests and Devices
There are a number of field and laboratory-based 2. Balance Training Equipment tests to assess balance ability. One example of a and Exercises
field test is the timed, single-limb balance on a
stable surface with the eyes closed. Another exam- Unstable and stable support surfaces have been
ple is the flamingo balance test that counts the used as part of balance training programmes. Balnumber
of attempts required to balance on a narrow ancing on a single limb with the eyes open on a
beam for 1 minute with the eyes open. stable surface is one of the basic balancing tasks.
Balance assessment can also been conducted on When the eyes are closed, visual information is no
an unstable surface. This makes the balance test longer available, making balancing more challengmore
dynamic and possibly more applicable to the ing.
Balance Board Benefits
Balance boards, also known as wobble boards, are instruments that use a flat, hard top that you stand on, and an unstable rounded bottom so that to use it, you must exercise balance and swift movements. Balance boards are used in a variety of ways, from sports training, to fitness and exercise and even rehabilitation. A balance board is fairly inexpensive and even easy to make yourself. You can reap the balance board benefits by incorporating one into your fitness or training regimen for better health.
Injury Prevention
A study that was published in a 2004 "American Journal of Sports Medicine" found that women who suffered from frequent ankle sprains while playing volleyball had a significant reduction in ankle sprains after training on a balance board. It is hypothesized that the balance board strengthens the ankles, so that they are less likely to become sprained when pressure is applied through sports or everyday activities.
Reaction Time
When on a balance board, if you slip or stumble, you'll have to go immediately into a action to stop it. A balance board can help improve your reaction time as you learn to act quickly to correct a mistake, and to learn to not over-correct. Athletes who need to react quickly to a starting gun in a race may use balance boards to improve their reaction times.
