Pielaster rehabilitation device (balance-proprioception)

The Pielaster is a very simple device, designed and patented by Biolaster to facilitate personalized proprioceptive training. Although the Pielaster is supplied as a single unit, it actually consists of two identical pieces.

Pielaster is recommended for anyone seeking to improve their proprioceptive abilities in the lower extremities , although it is especially recommended for children with plantar support deformities, axial deviations, or difficulty coordinating their movements. It is also beneficial for anyone, particularly athletes , who wish to compensate for ankle instability due to recurrent sprains and thus prevent future sprains. Therefore, it serves a dual purpose: rehabilitation and prevention.

Strengths:

It is a spheroidal body with an elliptical base , which follows the contour of the foot, and allows for a 360º undulating rotation when placed on its convex portion. This specific shape of the Pielaster results in a lever arm that varies depending on its position, allowing us to adapt the force required to maintain balance to the muscular strength of the muscles involved in that specific movement.

It also allows for a greater range of motion compared to other "unstable platforms" used in the rehabilitation and recovery of ankle sprains and instabilities. The instability of the platform is compensated for by using it simultaneously with both feet (as mentioned, two identical platforms are supplied with each Pielaster); the resulting double point of support makes it easy to maintain balance and perform ankle flexion-extension, lateral flexion, and circumduction exercises, which can be made more challenging as training progresses, by closing the eyes or limiting support to a single foot.

What is proprioception?

Proprioception is the quality that allows us to appreciate the position, balance and its changes in the muscular system, especially in locomotion.

The position of our limbs is constantly and automatically monitored by our nervous system. We receive countless sensations collected by sensory nerve endings via afferent pathways, which are continuously processed. Once this information is gathered, our nervous system becomes aware of the position of all points in the musculoskeletal system and generates a response that travels along efferent pathways. In this way, quickly and imperceptibly, we correct our posture to maintain our balance.

Proprioception can be trained by providing varied stimuli from the feet that require very quick correction to avoid loss of balance.

All the tests carried out by Biolaster confirm that we have obtained a very effective tool that will serve this purpose in any person, but especially in young people with anatomical defects of plantar support, in the recovery periods after ligamentous ankle injuries and in cases of chronic instability due to multiple sprains.

Technical specifications:

- Very sturdy plastic base

- Surface: High-density foam rubber

- Measurements: length (37.5 cm) x width (17 cm) x height (8 cm)