Rehabilitation clinicians’ perspectives of reactive balance training

ABSTRACT Purpose Reactive balance training (RBT) aims to improve reactive balance control. However, because RBT involves clients losing balance, clinicians may view that it is unsafe or not feasible for some clients. We aimed to explore how clinicians are specifically implementing RBT to treat balance and mobility issues. Materials and methods Physiotherapists and kinesiologists across Canada who reported that they include RBT in their practices were invited to complete telephone interviews about their experience with RBT. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a deductive thematic analysis. Results Ten participants completed telephone interviews, which lasted between 30-60 minutes. Participants were primarily working in a hospital setting (inpatient rehabilitation (n=3); outpatient rehabilitation (n=2), and were treating those with neurological disorders (n=5). Four main themes were identified: 1) there is variability in RBT approaches; 2) knowledge can be a barrier and facilitator to RBT; 3) reactive balance control is viewed as an advanced skill; and 4) RBT experience builds confidence. Conclusions Our findings suggest a need for resources to make clinical implementation of RBT more feasible.