THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SITTING-ROCKER BOARD BALANCE TRAINING IN STROKE PATIENTS: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Background: Stroke is the leading cause of neurological deficits and disability worldwide. Stroke rehabilitation involves a holistic approach that incorporates various skills and specialties. Balance recovery is a vital part of stroke rehabilitation, and extensive work has shown that balance training based on functional skills, task-oriented activities, and training under different conditions to provide a variety of sensory inputs is effective for stroke patients. Compared to stable surfaces, unstable surfaces are more effective in helping stroke patients regain balance. Rocker board balance training has proven effective for patients with spinal cord injuries, but its effectiveness in stroke patients has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using a rocker board in sitting to improve balance in stroke patients.

Method: Ten stroke patients were selected for this pilot study using purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups (control group n=5, treatment group n=5) at King Hospital, Swat. The control group (CG) received conventional physical therapy to improve balance, while the treatment group (TG) received conventional physical therapy plus rocker balance training. The Berg Balance Scale was used as the outcome measure, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare pre-test and post-test scores of both groups.

Results: The results of the study show that both groups improved significantly when comparing pre- and post-test results; however, greater improvement in balance was observed in the TG compared to the CG, with a P-value > 0.05.

Conclusion: The results of this study show that rocker board training is effective in improving balance in stroke patients.