Supervised slackline training improves postural stability

Abstract

The present study investigated whether or not four weeks of supervised slackline training (SLT) performed on nylon webbing improves postural stability. Twenty-four healthy adults participated in the study and were assigned to either SLT (n 012) or a control (CON) group (n012). The SLT group completed a four week training program, while the CON group received no training. Centre of gravity (COG) and joint angles (ankle, knee and hip) were calculated using whole body three-dimensional (3D) kinematic measurements during single leg standing on a stable surface (SS) and on a perturbed surface (PS) before and after training. After SLT, a significant interaction was found for the SS condition in anteriorposterior COG mean velocity, whereas no changes were observed in the medio-lateral direction or in joint kinematics. In the PS condition, the medio-lateral COG mean velocity, frontal angular range of motion in the knee and hip joint, sagittal angular mean velocity in the knee joint, as well as frontal angular mean velocity in the hip joint were reduced in the SLT group only (all P B0.05). No significant training effects were detected in the ankle joint kinematics in either group from pre to post test. Our findings demonstrate that four weeks of supervised SLT improves postural stability in single leg stance on a stable surface and/or during compensation of perturbations.

Ice skating promotes postural control in children

“…It was, for example, shown that skiing (Lauber et al, 2011) and in-line skating (Taube et al, 2010) in elderly people are adequate means to improve postural stability. The same effect was observed when young adults (students) participated in slackline training (Keller et al, 2012;Pfusterschmied et al, 2013). Thus, it is possible to observe an enhanced postural control after several weeks of alternative balance training both when tested on the training device itself, but also when tested in a postural transfer test.…”

“…A custom-built joystick potentiometer was connected to the platform for the evaluation of the sway path of the platform in antero-posterior and medio-lateral (ml) direction. The same device was used in different recent publications (Taube et al, 2010;Keller et al, 2012;Pfusterschmied et al, 2013) and was shown to provide good test-retest reliability for different age groups (Boeer et al, 2010). It has to be mentioned, however, that none of the age groups evaluated by Boeer et al (2010) corresponded to the age group used in the present study.…”

“…In line with this observation, there is one slackline training study in young adults also showing no transfer to other balance tests (Granacher et al., ). Thus, although there are two further studies in young adults demonstrating increased postural stability in transfer tasks (Keller et al., ; Pfusterschmied et al., ) it might nevertheless be speculated that the adaptations in response to slackline training are very task specific and probably not as broad as the ones reported after conventional balance training where different devices demand joint stability in all directions.…”

“…In adults, these training interventions did not only improve postural control but also showed numerous “side effects.” For example, classical balance training also enhanced the rate of force development and/or jump height (Gruber & Gollhofer, ; Taube et al., ), and its application reduced the incidence of non‐contact sports injuries (for an overview, see Taube et al., ). Apart from classical balance training, alternative approaches such as skiing (Lauber et al., ) or slacklining (Keller et al., ; Pfusterschmied et al., ) were shown to improve postural control in adults. Thus, the different beneficial effects of balance training have been investigated manifold times for adults and elderly people.…”

Changes in balance coordination and transfer to an unlearned balance task after slackline training: a self-organizing map analysis

“…In children as well as in young and older adults, slackline training was shown to improve the ability to balance on the slackline (Granacher et al 2010;Donath et al 2013;Pfusterschmied et al 2013;Gabel et al 2015;Donath et al 2016). Based on these positive results and the relatively low costs and large variety of possible exercises, slackline-based training is finding its way into fitness and therapeutic settings (Gabel et al 2013).…”