Do balance bracelets improve the static balance?

Abstract

Introduction: The balance control aims to maintain the center of mass within the support base. Without evidence, the media suggests that wearing bracelets can increase the balance. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a balance bracelet of static balance of adults. Methods: A total of 12 healthy adults participated in this study. We used a Balance Bracelet (Power Balance®), a placebo bracelet and a 3D accelerometer to measure the balance sway. We calculated the mean amplitude and standard deviation of the horizontal acceleration during quite standing. The participants stood barefoot in a one legged position with eyes opened and closed for 30s for each trial. The three-way ANOVA was ran to verify the effect of the bracelet, vision and orientation on the mean acceleration and its standard deviation. Results and conclusion: The highest mean acceleration (F(1,126)=43, p<0.001) occurred with eyes closed and for the anterior-posterior direction (F(2,126)=3, p=0.02). The Balance Bracelet does not affect the postural control.