Effect of active foot positioning on the outcome of a balance training program

Objectives. To compare the effectiveness of a traditional balance training program and a balance training program that emphasizes foot positioning, in improving postural control. Design. Randomized control study using a pre-post design. Setting. A laboratory setting. Participants. Forty-five healthy college students participated. Sixteen completed a traditional balance training program (TRAD), 14 completed a training program emphasizing foot positioning (POS), and 15 received no intervention (CONT). Subjects in the TRAD and POS group performed balance training on their dominant lower extremity for 4 weeks. Main outcome measure. Center of pressure excursion velocity (COPV) assessed during single leg quiet standing on a force plate during eyes open and eyes closed trials on both the trained and untrained limbs. Results. The TRAD group improved substantially more than did the POS or CONT groups. Improvements in COPV measures were seen in the TRAD group for both the trained and untrained limbs. The most substantial improvements occurred on the trained leg in the eyes closed condition. Conclusion. Traditional balance training appears to be more effective than balance training emphasizing active foot positioning in healthy individuals. Bilateral improvement in balance for the TRAD group suggests a central nervous system control of postural control.