The effect of ball exercise on the balance ability of young adults.
Wonjong Yu, Seongsoo Cha, Samki Seo
PMID 29643579WHAT IT FOUND
In healthy young adults, both medicine-ball and Swiss-ball exercise groups improved static balance and functional reach.
Medicine-ball also improved timed up and go. Swiss-ball did not.
Key findings
01Thirty-six young adults were randomly assigned to 18 medicine-ball and 18 Swiss-ball groups.
02After 6 weeks, both groups improved on the balance error score, one-leg standing, and functional reach tests.
03The medicine-ball group improved timed up and go by 0.25 sec, while the Swiss-ball group did not show a significant change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The participants were healthy young university students, so the results may not apply to older adults or people with balance disorders. The study used two active exercise groups and did not include a sham or control condition. Blinding of participants or assessors is not reported. The results text says the significance level was above the threshold for tests that the table marks as significant, so the significance reporting is unclear. No direct between-group comparison of final scores is reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that medicine-ball exercise is better than Swiss-ball exercise overall. The study reports within-group changes, not a direct final between-group comparison.