SLACKLINING

Slacklining by ACE Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute

Slacklining brings the thrill of the circus into your backyard for health and fitness. What is slacklining? Basically, it is walking on a tensioned nylon strap. The strap is normally anchored between two trees. While it looks like tightrope walking, it’s not really the same thing because the strap is not taut. It is a sport, a hobby and as it turns an option for rehabilitation healthcare. Slacklining has been shown to help people improve their strength, balance, coordination, and concentration.  By engaging all aspects of our equilibrium, it can help to train and develop our sense of balance.

Balance requires a great deal of neurological control and involvement.  The eyes, vestibular system, kinesthesia, and proprioception all play a major role in helping someone stay balanced.  The musculoskeletal system must be strong and healthy enough to remain is a given position for a period of time and be able to respond to a sudden change without falling down.  Like most activities and skills, the human body can be “trained” to respond more efficiently and effectively to changes which helps a person maintain balance.

The human nervous system controls all motions one way or another. There are voluntary responses in which we “think” about a motion and then perform it, but there are involuntary or reflexive motions that must be under control to get the most efficient response from the body.  These involuntary responses can be “trained” to improve one’s balance.  In most instances, movement is a combination of voluntary and involuntary movements.

Slacklining has been likened to walking a tightrope, but there is one big difference.  The slacklining rope is really a 2-inch nylon strap that is not taut like a tightrope.  The slacklining band is looser and “gives” as someone walks across it.  More than a tightrope, the “give” produces a slight bounce or unstable surface to walk across.

Training the nervous system to improve balance involves working out or performing exercises and activities on unstable surfaces.  Healthcare providers try all types of surfaces to challenge their patient’s nervous systems and in turn help to “train” it to respond more efficiently.  When the nervous system is “well- tuned” it is capable of controlling the voluntary and involuntary movements which increase the kinesthesia and proprioception of the different joints and body parts.  The ability of the nervous system to control the position of the joints of the body leads to more efficient motions and better balance.

Physical Therapists include various treatment protocols that involve exercises on unstable surfaces.  Slacklining has not been employed extensively in the Physical Therapy setting to date, but it is one more way to that can be used to challenge and “train” the nervous system.  There is no restriction on the age groups that can benefit and in studies that have been done to tests its effectiveness the results are encouraging demonstrating an improvement in balance after as little as 4 weeks of slackening training.  It has been reported that all age groups are challenged and have reported that they enjoyed their experience on the nylon strap.

Seeking the advice and treatment of a Physical Therapist is easy and does not require a visit to your doctor.  Your insurance policy might require that you get a referral from your primary physician but you do not need a doctor’s prescription.

Slacklining is relatively new and is catching on in the healthcare world.  It can be used to stimulate and train the nervous system and help to develop more strength, greater balance, coordination, and concentration.