Can a Balance Wristband Influence Postural Control?

Eichhorn, S, Foerster, S, Friemert, B, Willy, C, Riesner, H-J, and Palm, H-G. Can a balance wristband influence postural control? J Strength Cond Res 34(12): 3416-3422, 2020-Top sports performances cannot be achieved without a high level of postural control. Balance wristbands purport to improve the mental and physical balance of the wearer. It is still unclear, however, whether these wristbands can indeed enhance postural control. Our aim was to ascertain through computerized dynamic posturography whether balance wristbands can improve postural stability. In this randomized controlled single-blind clinical study, posturography was used to assess postural control in 179 healthy subjects with or without a balance wristband. Tests were also performed with the subjects blinded to whether they were wearing an intact or a defective wristband. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to detect significant differences (p ≤ 0.05). Stability indexes did not reveal significant differences in postural control between wearing and not wearing a wristband. Our study did not provide evidence of an improvement in postural stability. Because the single-blind trials too revealed no significant differences, a placebo effect could be ruled out.