Effect of Wobble Board Exercises Versus Swiss Ball Exercises on Balance and Functional Stability of Stroke Patients

Overview

A stroke is characterized as a condition in which the brain's main arteries get clogged, reducing oxygen flow and potentially leading to death or severe disability. There are various types of strokes, such as transient ischemic attack (TIA), hemorrhagic stroke, and ischemic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke is the most prevalent kind among them Strokes frequently alter postural balance. Balance is a complicated process that involves both static and dynamic elements. It significantly influences gait performance and community ambulation after strokes. Balance impairment is a common cause of falls in stroke survivors. Post-stroke recovery is related to loss of control of one's body posture, uneven weight distribution, and lack of anticipatory and reactive balance, which hinder movement in the community and severely affect one's quality of life. The loss of balance is one of the major problems that stroke patients have to deal with and is considered the most serious part of the illness. Medically, it is characterized as the result of multiple factors such as: i) damage to brain areas responsible for processing vestibular input, ii) blockage for proprioceptive feedback, iii) poor coordination among the different brain regions involved in motor planning and execution and visual feedback. These factors, in turn, and together, block the person's body from moving stably during static and dynamic activities. More than 70% of stroke patients develop significant balance problems within the first year of the stroke and such problems, besides other factors, are the reason for the high occurrence of falls among them. Reports indicate that the fall rate in the stroke population is more than double that in the non-disabled elderly.

Detailed description

A stroke is categorized by a local neurological deficiency that progresses suddenly and persists longer than twenty-four hours, which led to death before time . Stroke, the disruption of blood supply to the brain, remains the top cause of debility that lasts for long time, creating considerable socioeconomic and healthcare issues all over the world. The ads need to show that this condition can sometimes lead to serious cases where the person is not able to control or feel anything, is not able to balance, or walk, and is not functioning independently. Over the last few years, research has shown that each year there are more than 12 million new strokes all over the world and many people who have survived stroke undergo through a long process of rehabilitation whereby they are only taught how to get back to functioning more or less and at the same time to be less prone to falling.

Interventions

• Other Wobble Board Exercises
  Duration: 10 minutes per session Frequency: 3 sessions per week Objective: Establish foundational balance in standing for mild-to-moderate spasticity levels. Exercises: * Static Standing: Participants stand on the wobble board with assistance as needed to develop balance without causing undue strain on spastic muscles. * Gentle Weight Shifts: Controlled side-to-side and front-to-back shifts (10-15 repetitions) for proprioception and core activation, adjusted to individual spasticity levels. D
• Other Swiss Ball Exercises
  Duration: 10 minutes per session Frequency: 3 sessions per week Objective: Build initial seated balance and core activation on the Swiss ball. Exercises: * Seated Balance: Sitting on Swiss ball to activate the core without overstressing spastic or weak muscles. * Gentle Bouncing: Slow, controlled bounces (10-15 repetitions) to improve dynamic seated stability within a safe range for those with mild to moderate spasticity Duration: 25 minutes per session Frequency: 3 sessions per week Objective

Primary outcome measures

• (FSST) Four-Square Step Test [Time frame: 2 to 4 mins]
• Berg Balance Scale (BBS) [Time frame: 2 to 4 mins]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Participants were required to have a history of stroke (>6-months)
• Age; 40-60 years old both male and female.
• Patients who have Ischemic or Hemorrhagic stroke
• Participants must tolerate at least 30 minutes of seated or standing activity to participate in the program progressively.
• Participants must have intact or corrected eyesight in order to use the equipment and visual balancing cues properly.
• The participant should be able to stand with little assistance and sit on their own.

Exclusion criteria

• Subjects with impaired visual or vestibular impairment and systemic illness
• Subjects unable to provide a proper medical history
• Subjects with neuropathies due to non-diabetic cause
• Subjects with any other neurological condition that can impair balance
• Subjects with any other musculoskeletal conditions that cause pain and instability
• Subjects with severe diabetes with foot ulcers or foot deformities
• Subjects with any kind of lower limb amputation.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07484581 · S24C14G37001

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗