Effects of dynamic exercise utilizing PNF patterns on the balance of healthy adults.
Wontae Gong
PMID 32273647WHAT IT FOUND
Six weeks of PNF pattern exercise improved several balance measures within the training group, but no measure differed significantly from the control group between groups.
Do not expect this exercise to outperform doing nothing in healthy adults.
Key findings
01The training group showed statistically significant improvements in stability score, weight distribution index, and two synchronization indices after the intervention.
02When comparing the change scores between the training and control groups, no items showed a statistically significant difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only healthy young adults, so the results do not apply to older adults or patients with balance disorders. The lack of significant difference between the training and control groups suggests the intervention may not be more effective than no intervention for the measured outcomes. The sample size was small (30 participants), which may have limited the ability to detect differences between groups.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the Korea Nazarene University Research Grants in 2020, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that PNF exercises are superior to no exercise because the training group improved. The study found no statistically significant difference between the training and control groups for most outcomes, meaning the improvement could be due to factors other than the specific PNF intervention.