The effect and durability of functional exercises on Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) scores in people with intellectual disabilities: a preliminary report.
Unstable surfaces turn simple balance drills into bigger, longer-lasting balance gains for adults with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Moya et al. (2022) asked 24 adults with intellectual disability to exercise three times a week for eight weeks.
Half did balance moves on firm mats. The other half did the same moves on wobble boards and foam pads.
Before, after, and one month later, staff scored each adult on the BESTest balance test.
What they found
Both groups improved, but the unstable-surface group gained twice as many points.
Their higher scores stayed put four weeks after training stopped.
Stable-surface adults lost some gains during the same break.
How this fits with other research
Mikolajczyk et al. (2015) ran a similar balance program for teens with ID. They also saw gains, but only after 24 weeks. S et al. show adults can reach bigger improvements in just eight weeks.
Lin et al. (2023) used eight weeks of rope skipping and got strong fitness gains too. The matching length tells us eight weeks is a sweet spot for physical change in this population.
May et al. (2020) taught high-intensity exercise with lottery tickets instead of unstable surfaces. Both studies prove adults with developmental disabilities can stick with tough workouts when the setup is right.
Why it matters
You can add wobble boards, foam pads, or couch cushions to any balance task you already run. The gear is cheap and the dose is only 30 minutes, three times a week. Expect faster balance gains that last even after you fade the program.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Problems and limitations of movement in individuals with ID are highly common, which particularly may cause the loss of basic performance and limit the person's independence in doing their daily activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect and durability of functional exercises on balance evaluation systems test (BESTest) scores of individuals with ID. METHODS: In the present study, 34 participants with ID were selected randomly and divided into three groups: training groups [unstable group (UG); n = 12; age = 21.46 ± 5.37 years and stable group (SG); n = 12; age = 18.50 ± 2.11 years] or the control group (CG; n = 10; age = 19.50 ± 1.27 years). The postural stability measure was collected with the BESTest. The training groups did the functional exercises for 8 weeks, 3 days/week and 1 h/day. The control group did not experience any training. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS 22 software on a significance level (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Both UG and SG training improved the outcome measures [biomechanical constraints (F = 14.04; P = 0.001), limits of stability/verticality (F = 54.39; P = 0.001), postural responses (F = 26.28; P = 0.001), anticipatory postural adjustment (F = 22.72; P = 0.001), stability in gait (F = 51.95; P = 0.001), sensory orientation (F = 83.87; P = 0.001) and total score (F = 114.1; P = 0.001)]. These improvements were maintained at a 1-month follow-up, although the effect was slightly reduced. The results showed that the training group at an unstable level has more balanced improvement compared to the training group at a stable level. CONCLUSION: This study presents evidence that functional exercises can be recognised as a comprehensive and effective mediator in the improvement of balance in individuals with ID and also affect performance and movement activities.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2022 · doi:10.1111/jir.12978