Ankle muscle activation when using the Both Sides Utilized (BOSU) balance trainer.

The use of the Both Sides Utilized (BOSU) balance trainer has become increasingly popular among fitness and medical personnel. Many fitness facilities, physical therapy clinics, and athletic training rooms routinely use this piece of equipment for strengthening, balance training, functional assessments, and rehabilitating various injuries. However, there are currently little data describing the effectiveness of this balance device. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which side of the BOSU balance trainer would generate a greater amount of tibialis anterior, peroneus longus, or medial gastrocnemius muscle activity using electromyography (EMG). Twenty, healthy, collegiate male subjects participated (age = 21.4 +/- 1.4 years; height = 179.4 +/- 8.6 cm; mass = 80.0 +/- 12.1 kg). Each subject performed 3 single-leg stance trials on each side of the BOSU balance trainer. The average EMG data from these trials were compared with maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) measures and represented an average percentage of these MVICs. We found no significant differences in EMG data for any muscle between conditions (p > 0.54). With regard to ankle muscle activity, both sides of the BOSU balance trainer produce similar difficulty during a balance training task. Therefore, no particular side of this device would provide any increase in muscle activity compared with the other side when used for improvements in balance or during the rehabilitation of lower extremity injuries.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes