Part 1 of 5 - Bosu Training Program
Im very excited to share one of my favourite tools in physio. Every physio clinic has one and many people at some point will own one or use one at the gym but there is very little knowledge on how to use them or get the full potential out of them. This will be the first of a 5 part series on how I use the Bosu in rehab and conditioning. I have spent the last decade building and continually upgrading my use of the BOSU and I am excited to share what I have learned and developed
Part 1 - Utility of the Bosu (this post)
Part 2 - Detecting Imbalances
Part 3 - Early rehabilitation
Part 4 - Mid rehabilitation & Long term health
Part 5 - Late rehabilitation/Sport Specific
The Bosu Ball (Standing for Both sides up) is an extremely useful tool for rehabilitation and conditioning in the lower extremity. It presents an unstable surface that challenges the lower bodies stability systems in a functional way. It is far superior to balance boards as the deforming surface underfoot forces the body to constantly adjust thus resulting in more real world like conditions to assess and train stability. We can use it for assessing and treating ailments of the foot, ankle, knee, hip and pelvic stabilizers. We can create static loads to train muscle strength and hypertrophy and we can also train dynamically with fast paced complex movements. I use it regularly for treating everyone from my elderly clients with hip bursitis to my professional skiers and snowboarders after major reconstructive surgeries.
The magic of the BOSU is that It allows us to identify even subtle imbalances in the lower body from previous injuries or individual anatomical variations. Imbalances left unchecked can lead to a plethora of ailments and injuries both from overuse or traumatic sports injuries. The BOSU utility spans from day 1 to the final day of rehab and long term health.
In the next post I will be sharing a few exercises that can be used as a self assessment to identify potential imbalances. You will need a mirror or camera to detect the subtle nuances seen with imbalances. If you have any previous ankle sprains, knee injuries, hip tightness, or lower back pain, it is worth while to to do an assessment to see if you have any imbalances. In my following posts I will be addressing various rehab exercises you can use for many different injuries.