After an injury, surgery, or a fall, it’s essential to rebuild your confidence, and of course, rebuild your strength. By doing so, you reduce the chances of a future fall and injury, and you help heal whatever problem you suffered.
Even top-class athletes need to work on rehabilitation after a surgery or severe injury. That doesn’t always mean strength training—one very effective way to rehabilitate after such damaging problems to focus on your balance.
Why is Balance so Key For Rehabilitation?
At-home exercises to improve your balance can be extremely useful on many levels, but when you’re in rehabilitation after an injury, fall, or a surgery, focusing on your balance increases your ability to move more robustly and accurately. It gives you more confidence, prevents you from falling once more, and ensures that your coordination works hand in hand.
When you have an outstanding balance, you use your core muscles as well as your focus, and when you have a strong core, you have a better posture, you have less chance of suffering from falls, and you are more likely to recover quickly from whatever problem you had in the first place.
For older people, especially, balance is vital. We know that falls are extremely common in old age, and these falls can lead to fractures over time. With decreased muscle mass and bone density comes the chances of a more severe injury, such as requiring a hip replacement, as one example. These are not surgeries that should be done without good reason, so avoiding it in the first place is an excellent go-to.
Using a Balance Board in Rehabilitation
Using a balance board for training after an injury, fall, or surgery means that you have a fun and effective way to increase your balance. These boards, such as those made by Bobo Balance, are ideal for giving the whole rehabilitation period a sense of fun.
Smart balance boards can be used in conjunction with a training program given to you by your doctor or the only one you would download and use yourself. You then follow the instructions on the screen, hooked up to your board, and recorded. That means you can show your doctor your progress, and they can advise any particular changes to your at-home exercise regime they think would work best for you.
The good news is that balance boards are also straightforward to use, so even for an older adult who isn’t so great with technology, this type of tool is fun, easy, and perfect for their needs.
When you focus on balance, you strengthen your coordination and flexibility too. You reduce your chances of falling and suffering another injury, which can be a problem post-surgery, even for a vital and relatively young athlete. Balance also gives you a sense of confidence. For an older person who perhaps lives at home alone or has had a particularly nasty fall in the past, having a sense of confidence in how they walk and move around is key to avoiding another issue.
Rehabilitation programs usually combine various exercises and treatment methods, but most will also have a degree of balance work. A balance board can be used at home, whenever you want to use it, and as part of a medically-approved training program. You can then work at your own pace, and whenever you feel like you need a boost of confidence in your balance, you hop on and train away until you reach your desired results.
Rehabilitation truly is as much about confidence as it is about strength, and balance gives you both of those things. By engaging your core muscles while using the board, you’ll find that you stand up straighter. Having a good posture brings all manner of advantages your way, including your digestive system!
So, suppose you are someone who has suffered an injury lately. In that case, someone who’s had a surgery, or maybe someone who’s experienced a few falls and you’re keen to try something at home which can help you rehabilitate and get back to your old self, or even stronger than before; a balance board could be the best fit for you. These are widely available, they come in various types and packages, and they can easily be stored away in your home when you’re not using them.
Many doctors also advocate using balance boards for at-home rehabilitation training. However, it would help if you talked to your medical team beforehand, to ensure that what you’re doing at home doesn’t interfere with the overall rehabilitation package they have prescribed for you.