Design and Evaluation of a Pneumatic-Actuated Active Balance Board for Sitting Postural Control

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a pervasive and debilitating condition that can result in motor control deficits and often leads to opioid dependence. Conventional rehabilitation approaches generally rely on internally driven tasks, which fail to capture adaptive motor responses to external perturbations. This study focuses on the design and evaluation of a pneumatic-actuated active balance board integrating pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), electromyography (EMG), and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to assess seated postural control responses. With PAM-powered perturbations, the balance board introduces controlled challenges to evaluate postural control dynamics and motor adaptation. EMG sensors monitor muscle activity in key postural muscles, while IMU systems track movement responses. The system was evaluated through an experimental trial with 15 healthy participants performing balance tasks on both a passive and active balance board. The active balance board's effectiveness is assessed using signal processing techniques, including root mean square (RMS) analysis, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), autoregressive (AR) modeling, and the Welch <i>t</i>-test. Experimental trials were conducted with healthy participants to establish baseline performance. Results demonstrate that the active balance board successfully induces adaptive motor responses, with higher EMG activation levels compared to passive boards. Frequency-domain analyses confirm significant differences in muscle activation patterns, supporting the hypothesis that external perturbations enhance postural control retraining. The pneumatic-actuated balance board presented in this study represents a novel approach to postural control assessment that may be applied in future rehabilitation studies involving individuals with cLBP, addressing the limitations of traditional methods. Future research will focus on clinical trials with cLBP patients to further evaluate its therapeutic efficacy and long-term benefits in rehabilitation.