Background and Purpose: Swiss ball has been extensively used as an effective appliance that improves balance by providing unstable surface and thereby reinforcing the proprioceptive feedback from joints and muscles. The purpose of this study was to testify this very fact. Swiss ball exercises were tested against standing balance exercises in normative individuals to see the anticipated changes in proprioception and this data was compared with a control group to see the deviation away from placebo. Methods: Thirty normative, healthy subjects with sedentary lifestyle were recruited with informed consent and divided randomly into three different groups. Group A performed Swiss ball exercises while Group B performed standing balance exercises. Control group, Group C was asked to perform a random set of exercises not intended to improve lumbar proprioception. Lumbar reposition error was tested in all three groups with gravity inclinometer before the commencement of study and at its termination. Results: While comparing both sets of exercises, Group B with standing balance training showed a significant reduction in lumbar reposition error over the course of two weeks as compared to Group A with swiss ball training. Group C, the control group, showed no significant difference in initial data and last data obtained. Conclusion: The study proves that the specific lumbar reposition sense, a marker of balance, improves better with standing proprioceptive and balance exercises as compared to the swiss ball proprioceptive and balance exercises.

Key Words: Lumbar reposition sense; Reposition error; Swiss-ball balance training; Standing balance training.