Balance Training for Basketball Players
Basketball is jump, land, cut, repeat, often on one foot and often onto someone else's. That makes ankle sprains one of the game's most common inju...
Balance Training After a Knee Injury
In this article
The short answer
A knee injury doesn't just affect strength; it can affect your knee's sense of position and your balance. That's why physical therapists build balance and proprioception work into knee rehab. Research suggests it helps people with ACL injuries regain stability and helps people with knee arthritis move with less pain. Once your PT clears you, a SlackBoard is one way to keep that work going at home.
Why balance matters for your knees
The knee relies on sensors in its ligaments, tendons and muscles to tell your brain where it is and how fast to react. Injury, surgery, swelling and pain can all disrupt that feedback. The result is a knee that feels unsure on stairs, uneven ground or quick changes of direction, even after strength comes back.
Balance training challenges that system on purpose, so your knee, hip and ankle learn to coordinate small corrections again.
What the research shows
ACL injuries. A systematic review found some evidence that proprioceptive and balance exercise improves outcomes for people with ACL-injured knees, including joint position sense, strength, hop tests and how well the knee feels it works. It found no harmful effects compared with standard rehab (Cooper et al., Research in Sports Medicine 2005). A 2025 meta-analysis found proprioception exercises improved dynamic balance after ACL reconstruction, with moderate-quality evidence (Majelan et al., BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders).
Knee arthritis. A review of 22 randomized trials with over 1,400 participants found balance training reduced knee pain and improved a standard mobility test (Timed Up and Go) in people with knee osteoarthritis. The studies varied a lot, so the size of the benefit may be overestimated, consult with your doctor.(Prabhakar et al., F1000Research 2023).
Staying healthy. For athletes, the evidence is even stronger on the prevention side. A 2026 meta-analysis in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that athletes who skipped ACL injury prevention programs were nearly twice as likely to tear their ACL as those who took part (Watson et al.).
Where a SlackBoard fits
A SlackBoard isn't a knee treatment. It's a balance trainer, and the research above is about balance training in general. Physical therapists and clinics use SlackBoards as one tool among many, because the line moves under you and asks your knee, hip and ankle to work together, which a flat floor can't do.
The two-line SlackBoard Plus is the natural starting point after an injury: standing across both lines gives a stable base, and you can switch to one line later for more challenge.
Before you start, get the go-ahead from your physical therapist or surgeon. After surgery especially, they'll set the timeline.
A sample progression
|
Stage |
On the board |
Goal |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Two-line mode, both feet, hands on a counter |
30 seconds steady, no pain |
|
2 |
Two-line mode, hands free, knees slightly bent |
60 seconds steady |
|
3 |
Two-line mode, shallow mini squats |
10 slow reps, knees tracking over toes |
|
4 |
Single-line mode, both feet, hands near a counter |
30 seconds steady |
|
5 |
Single-line mode, slow weight shifts |
10 controlled shifts |
Stop and check in with your PT if you feel sharp pain, swelling or the knee giving way.
Next read: Balance Training After an Ankle Sprain, and Balance Training for Basketball Players.
FAQ
Q: Is balance training good after a knee injury?
A: Research suggests yes. Proprioceptive and balance exercise has been linked to better stability and function after ACL injuries, and to less pain in knee arthritis. Your PT can tell you when to start.
Q: Can I use a balance board after ACL surgery?
A: Balance work is a common part of ACL rehab, but timing depends on your surgery and progress. Only start when your surgeon or PT clears you.
Q: Does balance training help knee arthritis?
A: A review of 22 trials found balance training reduced pain and improved mobility in people with knee osteoarthritis, though the studies varied widely.
Q: Is a SlackBoard safe for bad knees?
A: Start in two-line mode with a counter in reach, keep the knees soft and stay pain-free. If anything hurts, stop and ask your PT.
Sources
-
Cooper RL, Taylor NF, Feller JA. A systematic review of the effect of proprioceptive and balance exercises on people with an injured or reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament. Res Sports Med 2005;13(2):163–178. PEDro record
-
Majelan AS, et al. Proprioception and virtual reality exercises on postural balance after ACL reconstruction: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2025;26:550. PMC
-
Prabhakar AJ, et al. Effectiveness of balance training on pain and functional outcomes in knee osteoarthritis. F1000Research 2023;11:598. PMC
-
Watson SL, et al. Training to Stay in the Game: a systematic review and meta-analysis of ACL injury prevention programs. Am J Sports Med 2026. PDF
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