Training Balance

There has been a great deal of focus on the effectiveness of gait training in SCI rehabilitation research (Mehrholz et al. 2012; Van Hedel & Dietz 2010; Wessels et al. 2010), but there has been relatively little attention on the impact of interventions specifically targeting balance outcomes. Most persons with incomplete SCI have the potential to recover some degree of mobility and many functional activities of daily living through rehabilitation (McKinley et al. 1999). Proper balance control is important not only for mobility and ambulation but also for performing important daily home activities in sitting and standing, such as dressing, eating, cooking, toileting, and safe transfers (Huxham et al. 2001). In recent years, and with the rapid development in technology (e.g., exoskeletons, virtual reality [VR], neuromodulation), there has been more data available about sitting and/or standing balance outcomes following gait training, neuromodulation interventions, or VR-based training, as well as specific sitting or standing balance interventions in people with SCI.