Do Combined Oculomotor and Bimanual Coordination Exercises Instantly Stabilize Balance in Athletes?

Abstract

Purpose

This study examined the immediate effects of oculomotor and bimanual coordination exercises, as well as a combination of the two, on stability of balance in athletes.

Patients and Methods

Changes in center-of-gravity sway were measured in 30 college student athletes before and after the following three exercise conditions: 1) oculomotor exercises, 2) bimanual coordination exercises, and 3) a combination of oculomotor and bimanual coordination exercises (1+2). The order of these exercises was counterbalanced.

Results

The combination of exercises (condition 3) reduced large swaying during balancing and immediately increased postural stability. Moreover, the oculomotor and bimanual coordination exercises (conditions 1 and 2) immediately reduced large sway during balancing when performed independently. Thus, the present study revealed that the combination of oculomotor and bimanual coordination exercises immediately reduced accidental swaying during balancing and also improved postural stability.

Conclusion

This combination could be effective as an immediate balance adjustment method for athletes.

Keywords:

• postural stability
• warming up
• balance training
• oculomotor exercise
• bimanual coordination exercise

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our great appreciation to H. Matsuoka (University of Tsukuba, Japan) for assisting with the statistical analysis.

Disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP21K11543, JP23H03294.