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A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training

A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training

Published on: January 20, 2019

Task-specificity of balance training.

Louis-Solal Giboin¹, Markus Gruber¹, Andreas Kramer¹

¹Sensorimotor Performance Lab, Department of Sport Science, Universität Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany.

Human Movement Science

|August 24, 2015

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Balance training yields highly task-specific improvements, not general gains. This study shows training benefits only the specific balance task practiced, with no transfer to untrained tasks, even similar ones.

Area of Science:

Biomechanics
Motor Control
Exercise Physiology

Background:

The specificity of adaptations resulting from balance training remains a key research question.
Understanding whether balance training induces task-specific or non-specific improvements is crucial for effective exercise prescription.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if balance training enhances performance solely in the trained balance task or also in untrained tasks.
To determine the specificity of adaptations following a short-term balance training intervention.

Main Methods:

Forty healthy participants were divided into two training groups (TGs) and a control group.
Both TGs underwent six balance training sessions over two weeks, differing only in the training device used.
Performance was assessed pre- and post-intervention in both the trained task and additional untrained tasks.

Keywords:

Motor learning Postural control Sensorimotor training Skill Transfer

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Last Updated: Apr 5, 2026

A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training

A Vibrotactile Feedback Device for Seated Balance Assessment and Training

Published on: January 20, 2019

A Modified Lean and Release Technique to Emphasize Response Inhibition and Action Selection in Reactive Balance

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Main Results:

Each training group significantly improved performance exclusively in their trained balance task (p<0.001).
No significant performance improvements were observed in untrained tasks across any group (p=0.72).
These findings indicate a high degree of task specificity in balance training adaptations.

Conclusions:

Two weeks of balance training resulted in highly task-specific effects, with no observed transfer to untrained tasks.
The results suggest that balance improvements are not generalized but are specific to the practiced movement.
It is recommended to identify and train specific tasks requiring improvement and utilize task-specific tests to evaluate training efficacy.