[Purpose] This study aimed to examine the effects of mental practice on the balance abilities of normal individuals. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group (n=15 each). Participants in both groups performed balance training in a seated position on a gym ball for 20 minutes per session, five sessions per week, for 4 weeks. Members of the...

BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) training is considered to be a promising novel therapy for balance and gait recovery in patients with stroke. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review with meta-analysis to investigate whether balance or gait training using VR is more effective than conventional balance or gait training in patients with stroke. DATA SOURCES ...

Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) experience a large scotoma precluding central vision. In addition, 2/3 of these patients present visuomotor and balance deficits resulting in clumsiness and increased risk of falls. On the basis of previous work demonstrating that visual, vestibular and somatosensory functions involved in balance control can be rehabilitated by training, we a...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate the delayed effects of balance training program on hemiplegic stroke patients. METHODS A total of 41 ambulatory hemiplegic stroke patients were recruited into this study and randomly assigned into two groups, the control group and trained group. Visual feedback balance training with the SMART Balance Master was used in the trained group. Br...

BACKGROUND Aqua-cycling is easy to learn, acceptable, and safe for patients with knee osteoarthritis. It can therefore be an ideal component of aquatic circuit training. OBJECTIVE To investigate the feasibility of a small group-based aquatic exercise programme including aqua-cycling. DESIGN A feasibility study using quantitative (pre-post) and qualitative (cross-sectional) assessments. PA...