REACTIVE BALANCE TRAINING (RBT)

Many people, like older adults and individuals with stroke, are increased risk for falls. In order to keep from falling down, people must often perform rapid and sophisticated reactions, like stepping or grasping movements. Reactive balance training (RBT) retrains these rapid reactions. RBT has been shown to improve control of rapid balance reactions and reduce fall rates by almost half compared to no exercise or ‘typical’ balance training.

Reactive Balance Training Toolkit (ReBal Kit)

The aim of this toolkit is to help healthcare professionals (e.g., physiotherapists or kinesiologists) use RBT in their rehabilitation practices.

Toolkit Components:

• Manual
• Reactive balance assessment data collection sheet
• Treatment planning guide
• Suggested additional equipment
• Reactive balance training log
• Balance training intensity scales
• Patient handout
• Database of previous RBT studies
• Additional videos and case studies
• Introduction to reactive balance training video

ReBal KIT Team

Avril Mansfield is a Senior Scientist at KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Affiliate Scientist in Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute, and an Associate Professor (status only) in the Department of Physical Therapy, University of Toronto. If you have any questions or feedback about the toolkit, Avril can be contacted at: avril.mansfield@uhn.ca.

Elizabeth Inness is the Leader of the Mobility Innovations Centre at KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, which uses an integrated knowledge translation (KT) approach to develop evidence-informed, clinically-relevant practices and programs of care. She has led various research and integrated KT initiatives that have advanced physiotherapy practice in the area of aerobic exercise testing and prescription and clinical and technology-based assessment of balance. She has also been instrumental in increasing uptake of RBT within the clinical programs at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

Kristin Musselman’s research is focused on developing and implementing novel training and assessment methods in adults and children with neurological injury. She has co-led the development and implementation of the Spinal Cord Injury Standing and Walking Measures Toolkit at eleven rehabilitation hospitals across Canada, and studied the barriers and facilitators to implementing functional electrical stimulation in stroke rehabilitation. She has led studies on RBT among individuals with spinal cord injury.

Nancy Salbach has led the development and evaluation of iWalk, a theory-informed toolkit to advance physiotherapists’ walking assessment practice post-stroke, and has expertise related to KT intervention design in rehabilitation.

Jennifer Kochanowski

• Physiotherapy Practice leader
• Acquired Brain Injury – Neuro Physical Service
• Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – University Health Network

Cynthia Danells

• Clinical Research Coordinator
• KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute – University Health Network

David Jagroop

• Clinical Research Analyst
• KITE-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network