Comparison of the effects of visual feedback training and unstable surface training on static and dynamic balance in patients with stroke.
Hyuck-Soon Hwang, Jin-Hong Kim, Bo-Ram Choi
PMID 29184276WHAT IT FOUND
In 20 stroke patients, 4 weeks of visual feedback training plus conventional exercise therapy reduced standing sway more than unstable surface training plus conventional exercise therapy; both groups increased limits of stability.
Key findings
01When visual feedback training was added to conventional exercise therapy, it significantly reduced static center of pressure sway area and trace length; when unstable surface training was added to conventional exercise therapy, it did not show a significant static change.
02When each group's assigned training was added to conventional exercise therapy, both groups significantly increased sway range at the limit of stability in the front-to-back and side-to-side directions, and the visual feedback group had the larger before-after change.
03Both groups received conventional exercise therapy for 30 minutes twice a week for 4 weeks, in addition to their assigned training, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 stroke patients were studied, so the result is based on a small sample. Training lasted 4 weeks, so long-term effects are unknown. Both groups received conventional exercise therapy, so the added effect of visual feedback or unstable surface training alone cannot be separated. Participants could already walk at least 10 m with a cane or walker, so this does not tell you what happens in patients who cannot walk that far. The paper reports balance outcomes, not falls, so it does not show that either training prevents falls.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that visual feedback training prevents falls or that it works without conventional exercise therapy. The study measured balance over 4 weeks in 20 patients, and both groups also received conventional exercise therapy.