“What’s the deal with the balance boards?” More than a few people have asked this question, and it’s understandable. Most people aren’t using balance boards to evaluate and treat, plus anyone can stand on one, right?
Well, here’s the deal — agility and neurological delay. I’ve defined agility in previous blog posts, but to reiterate, agility is the ability to change directions quickly while maintaining balance. When standing with one foot on the board, the goal is to keep it as steady and smooth as possible. The steadier the board is, the faster that person’s muscles are responding to the changing directions. Balance tests highlight delay in muscle activation. When there is more delay, it reveals itself in more uncontrolled movement in both the board and the body of the individual. Less delay means better response time, greater muscle recruitment, and a “quieter” or steadier board.
My treatment is focused on improving agility by reducing delay. The changes occur quickly which I show in the “before” and “after” segments of my YouTube videos. The balance board is an easy way to test and showcase these changes. Once agility improves, it not only can be seen and felt in all athletic endeavors but in recovering from injury (for good!) as well.
And that is the deal with the balance board.
The following two videos show both Toni and Maria on the balance boards before and after treatment for neurological delay. More can be found here on my YouTube channel.
Steve Noble, DC
