Acute Effects of Power Balance Bracelets on Strength, Balance, and Flexibility

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of Power Balance bracelets on strength, balance, and flexibility. For this human subjects approved study, 27 healthy subjects were recruited with no history of lower extremity injury, concussion, or use of similar products in the 6 months prior to study participation. Twenty-seven subjects (male: n = 9, age = 24.44 3.05 yrs, ht = 180.34 4.58 cm, mass = 70.08 10.49 kg; female: n = 18, age = 22.17 2.07 yrs, ht = 166.93 7.78 cm, mass = 82.58 9.53 kg) completed all requirements of the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups receiving either a; power balance bracelet, placebo bracelet, or nothing (control). Subjects completed baseline testing in a randomized order for balance, flexibility and power before receiving their treatment. Immediately after completion of pretesting and all tests were immediately administered again exactly as they were in the pretest. Subjects were instructed not to remove or tamper with their bracelet until after they visited the lab again 24 hours later and were taken through all tests again. The Power Balance product provides no significant increase in performance in any of the categories measured in this study. The results seen in field testing are likely attributable to the learning effect in testing methods as well as the reciprocal inhibition phase of PNF stretching in the case of flexibility. Clinically, the results of this study cannot be used to support the use of Power Balance technology to enhance performance in the areas of balance, flexibility or strength.