en کنترل حرکتی و شاخه‌های وابسته بدان Motor Control and its Related Branches مقاله اصیل Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Background. </strong>Enhancing balance function is crucial for fall prevention and maintaining quality of life among the elderly.<br> <strong>Objectives.</strong> This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of balance training using natural rubber pads compared to Airex&reg; foam pads and firm surfaces in healthy older adults.<br> <strong>Methods.</strong> Ninety healthy older adults aged 55-65 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: training on natural rubber pads, Airex&reg; foam pads, or firm surfaces. Participants completed a 4-week balance training program. Balance performance was assessed before and after the intervention using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Thai Falls Efficacy Scale-International (Thai FES-I), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), One-Leg Standing Test (OLST), Chair Stand Test (CST), and Tandem-Stance Test (TST). Data were analyzed using a two-way mixed-model ANOVA to evaluate differences in balance performance among the three groups.<br> <strong>Results.</strong> The natural rubber pad group exhibited significant improvements in balance performance across all assessment tools (BBS, Thai FES-I, TUGT, OLST, CST, and TST) after the 4-week intervention (p<0.05). Notably, this group performed better in the TUGT and CST than the Airex&reg; foam pad group (p<0.05).<br> <strong>Conclusion. </strong>The findings suggest that natural rubber pads are an effective and cost-efficient alternative to Airex&reg; foam pads for balance training in healthy older adults. The natural rubber pads provided an unstable yet supportive training environment, leading to significant improvements in balance performance compared to firm surfaces and offering benefits comparable to those of commercial foam pads, potentially at a lower cost.</div> Balance training, Fall prevention, Natural rubber pad, Older adults, Physiotherapy 0 0 http://aassjournal.com/browse.php?a_code=A-11-2371-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Chuanpis Boonkerd chuanpis.b@allied.tu.ac.th 100319475328460017052 100319475328460017052 No Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand Teerapat Laddawong teerapat.l@allied.tu.ac.th 100319475328460017053 100319475328460017053 No Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand Suteera Jaidee suteera.j@allied.tu.ac.th 100319475328460017054 0009-0003-4986-7959 No Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand Thanawat Kitsuksan Thanawat.k@allied.tu.ac.th 100319475328460017055 100319475328460017055 Yes Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand