Comparisons of Static and Dynamic Balance Following Training in Aquatic and Land Environments

Context: It has been theorized that aquatic balance training differs from land balance training. Objective: To compare the effects of balance training in aquatic and land environments. Design: Between-groups, repeated-measures design. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory and pool. Participants: 24 healthy subjects randomly assigned to aquatic (n = 8), land (n = 10), or control (n = 6) groups. Intervention: Four weeks of balance training. Main Outcome Measures: Balance was measured (pre, mid, post, follow-up). COP variables: radial area, y range, x range in single leg (SL), tandem (T), single leg foam (SLF), and tandem form (TF) stance. Results: A significant condition × time interaction for x range was found, with improvements for SL, SLF, and TF. Radial area improved, with post-test 1.01 ± .23 cm 2 and follow-up 1.06 ± .18 cm 2 significantly lower than pretest 1.18 ± .23 cm 2 . Y range significantly improved, with posttest (4.69 ± 1.02 cm 2 ) lower than pretest (5.89 ± 1.26 cm 2 ). The foam conditions (SLF & TF) were significantly different from non-foam conditions (SL & T) for all variables. Conclusions: Results of this study show that balance training can effectively be performed in both land and aquatic environments.