Physical Therapy Balance Equipment

Balance and vestibular issues can significantly impact a person's ability to perform daily activities. Physical therapists often use specialized equipment to help patients improve balance, increase mobility, and reduce fall risk. 

These balance equipment for physical therapy provides gentle, progressive exercises and challenges to retrain the vestibular and proprioceptive systems.

If you are wondering what equipment does balance and vestibular physical therapy use, you are at the right spot. 

In this article, we will give an overview of the common physical therapy equipment list used in physical therapy clinics.

Purpose of Balance Equipment in Physical Therapy

Physical therapists use balance therapy equipment for several key reasons:

• Improve static and dynamic balance skills
• Retrain balance reactions and righting reflexes
• Increase lower body strength and core stability
• Challenge proprioception and vestibular function
• Reduce the risk of falling and improve confidence
• Increase mobility and ability to perform functional tasks
• Provide objective measures of progress through data tracking

Specialized physical therapy equipment balance provides graded progressive challenges to the balance systems. This stimulation helps rebuild neural pathways and improve communication between the vision, proprioception, and vestibular systems.

Types of Physical Therapy Equipment

There are several major categories of balance physical therapy equipment used in physical therapy:

Balance Boards

Balance boards are a fundamental piece of equipment to train static and dynamic balance. They are designed to move in one or more planes and challenge the user to stay centered over the board.

• Wobble boards tilt side-to-side on a rounded fulcrum point. They improve medial or lateral control. Wobble boards help strengthen the smaller stabilizing muscles along the outside of the foot and ankle. The side-to-side movement improves weight shifting and hip strategy.
• Rocker boards rock backward and forwards, training anterior or posterior balance reactions. Rocker boards target the calf muscles and, specifically, the gastrocnemius and soleus. They improve ankle strategy for balance.
• Rocker-roller boards combine the motions of rocker and wobble boards to challenge balance in all directions. This dynamic surface works on multi-directional control and hip or ankle coordination.
• Square boards with a centralized pivot point allow omnidirectional tilting. These boards help strengthen all muscles in a dynamic way by tilting in all planes.

Foam Balance Pads

Foam pads and balance cushions destabilize the surface, challenging core control and balance. Pads come in varying densities, softness, and shapes:

• Half foam rolls help maintain an upright posture and alignment by stimulating the long intrinsic muscles of the back. The instability recruits core muscles.
• Rectangular and square balance pads for bilateral stance training work the hip abductors and adductors as well as the quadriceps and hamstrings.
• Soft foam pads severely limit sensory feedback, challenging the vestibular system. These improve non-visual balance control.

Inflated Discs and Balance Pods

Inflated rubber and plastic discs provide an unstable surface and dynamic proprioceptive cues during exercises and activities. These can include:

• Hemisphere balance pods for rocking and tilting strengthen hip and trunk stabilizers to control the movement of the device.
• Inflatable rubber discs in varying heights work on body alignment and posture control over an uneven surface.
• Airex pads for core and lower extremity exercises challenge intrinsic foot muscles and dynamic foot arches.

Posturography Boards

Posturography boards use force plates and sensors to objectively measure a patient's balance abilities during static and dynamic activities. The board detects small shifts in weight distribution and body sway. Load cells and pressure sensors feed data to a computer software system.

As patients stand on the board, it provides objective data on postural stability and sway patterns. 

Physical therapists can use this data to identify specific balance deficits and impairments. The system tracks progress over time with quantitative measures of improvement.

Many posturography systems also include real-time visual feedback on weight shifting and alignment. 

As the patient stands on the board, a screen displays the center of pressure and sway patterns. This helps patients consciously improve their posture and balance mechanics through visual feedback.

Vibration Plates

Vibration platforms create gentle to vigorous destabilizing vibrations during balance activities. As patients stand on the plate doing exercises, the vibrations stimulate and activate the proprioceptive nerves in the feet and ankles.

This stimulation challenges the balance systems to constantly adjust and react to maintain stability. Vibrating platforms essentially “trick” the body into working extra hard during balance training.

The vibrations also activate and strengthen core stabilizer muscles as patients try to control the rocking motions. Like posturography systems, some vibration plates include screens with real-time feedback on body position. This helps train optimal posture and body mechanics.

Common Balance Exercises and Treatment Activities

Physical therapists use balance equipment in functional training and goal-oriented activities. Some examples include:

• Weight Shifts - Reaching overhead and to each side while standing on a foam roll or board improves lateral stability and hip strength.
• Modified Sit-to-Stand - Using a chair for support while standing up and sitting down on a balance cushion targets the quadriceps and gluteal muscles eccentrically.
• Tandem Stance - Standing heel-to-toe on a rocker board enhances anterior-posterior ankle proprioception.
• Ball Exercises - Catching and throwing a ball while standing on a wobble board works on dynamic stabilization and motor control.
• Perturbations - Having the therapist manually destabilize the board during stance reactively works on balance reactions.
• Eyes Closed - Reducing visual input by closing eyes during any balance activity focuses on non-visual balance systems.
• Walking Exercises - Stepping in place or across pads, boards, and uneven surfaces improves weight shifting, coordination, and core engagement while walking.
• Resistance Training - Adding resistance bands or hand weights to any balance exercise increases muscle engagement and difficulty.

Benefits of Balance Equipment

There are many benefits to using specialized balance equipment for rehabilitation:

• Provides objective measures of progress and outcomes through data-tracking features.
• Allows customized and graded progression of exercises by adjusting stability and assistance.
• Improves static and dynamic standing balance through progressive sensory challenges.
• Enhances core and lower extremity strength by requiring greater muscle activation.
• Reduces risk of falling through improved stability and balance reactions.
• Carryover to improved balance and mobility in daily life and community settings.
• Increased confidence in performing daily and functional activities.
• Reduced need for gait aids or assistive devices as balance improves.
• Portable equipment allows exercises in multiple environments, not just the clinic.
• Engaging equipment and real-time feedback improve motivation and compliance.

Balance training produces neuromuscular adaptations and improved sensory integration for posture control and stability. Challenging balance in the clinic setting leads to improved functioning at home and in the community.

Considerations for Purchase and Use

There are some important factors to consider when selecting and implementing balance equipment:

• Patient safety - Choose equipment that is appropriate for the patient's balance and fall risk level. Provide close supervision initially.
• Portability - Can the equipment be easily moved for storage and transport? Larger items may require permanent space.
• Adjustability - Are there ways to grade and progress the difficulty and instability? Look for adjustable equipment if working with higher-functioning patients.
• Versatility - Will the equipment allow a variety of positions, exercises, and activities? Variable options maintain engagement.
• Durability - Select high-quality equipment with sturdy construction if it will get heavy use. Check weight limits.
• Ease of cleaning - Equipment should have non-porous surfaces that are easy to disinfect. Sealed inflation valves prevent mold and bacterial growth.
• Patient acceptance - Ensure the patient is comfortable using the selected equipment. Get feedback on comfort level.
• Space requirements - Verify adequate space for the equipment and safe exercise areas. Allow clear paths between stations.
• Staff training - Proper supervision and guarding are essential for safety. Train staff on each piece of equipment.

Suggested Equipment for Balance Exercises

Here are some examples of common balance products used in physical therapy:

Wobble Boards

• Jumper Classic Wobble Board - A molded wood board with a rounded bottom for stable tilting.
• Indo Balance Board - Plastic board with adjustable fulcrum for grading difficulty.
• ProFit Balance Board - Textured rubber surface provides additional sensory cues.

Rocker Boards

• Sissel Bi-Directional Stability Rocker - Shaped wood creates anterior or posterior or medial or lateral tilting.
• JFit Adjustable Rocker Board - Multiple angle settings allow progression for rocking.
• TheraBand Rocker and Roll Board - Combines rocking and spinning motions.

Foam Pads

• OPTP Pro-Roll Soft Foam Rolls - Closed-cell foam available in multiple densities.
• Perform Better Foam Balance Pads - Beveled edges reduce trip risks.
• SPRI Xerdisc Balance Cushions - Odor-resistant foam with textured surfaces.

Inflated Discs

• Fitness Gear Air Cushions - Low profile promotes balance versus stability.
• Togu Dynair Ball Cushions - Inflatable to different heights for progression.
• SPRI Xerball Balance Disc - Anti-burst construction ideal for clinics.

Posturography Systems

• Basic Balance Master Plate - Portable and affordable option to measure sway.
• Biodex Balance System SD - Objective balance assessment and biofeedback training.
• NeuroCom SMART EquiTest - Reports 13 objective measures of balance and sway.

Conclusion

Balance and vestibular rehabilitation require specialized equipment to provide the right amount of challenge and sensory input. Physical therapists thoughtfully choose appropriate balance devices based on a patient's impairments, functional goals, and fall risk. 

There are many types of effective balance equipment using platforms, surfaces, and props to train stability and coordination. 

Physical therapists progressively implement balance exercises and activities with these tools to improve neuromuscular control, proprioception, core strength, and vestibular function. 

Ongoing objective assessment and monitoring of outcomes allow therapists to advance equipment use and difficulty levels at the right pace. 

Equipped with these specialized tools, therapists can create highly customized rehabilitation programs to help patients regain and master balance skills, mobility, and fall prevention.

If you are not sure which balance therapy equipment you need, you can contact FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Center - Berkeley Heights.