Fitterfirst Professional Balance Board - 20"

I would never say I have great balance and so have always been someone afraid of balance boards. I am older now and since retiring from the military have spent the majority of work, and time in general, on my bum. I know how good and useful a balance board can be and finally bought this one about a year ago. I did that in part because I bought a sitting to standing desk and found I tended to pace when I tried to use it while standing. This seems like a good reason to get something that would help rebuild some stabilizing muscles and keep me in once place. Once I started using it I found I loved it, and the fact it has several settings means I could increase difficulty as I became better with it. I placed it on a section of a yoga mat (due to hardwood floors) in front of my desk and it has been great. I've not ever fallen from it causing a sudden disappearance during a zoom call, yet. It is very solid and well made as I'd expect from something made by our wonderful Canadian neighbors to the north. I couldn't recommend it higher to anyone who is a beginner and you needed fear about progressing beyond it for a long time.

I got this because my physical therapist was having me do core strengthening exercises on one because of a bulging disk in my lower back and sciatica. This is the exact same one that is in the PT office. She would have me lay on my back on the wobble board, raised to full height. I would hold a 3-lb weight in my hand while holding my arm straight up, with my knees bent, feet together, and neck supported in other hand. My abs were tightened in crunch position. Then I would slowly lower my arm/weight back over my head and back up. Then I would slowly lower it to the side and back up. I had to concentrate on tightening the abs in order to not fall to the side. I did this three times on each side, and then I would do another set with a 5-lb weight. I worked my way up to an 8-lb weight in a few weeks, and now I think I am ready for 10-lb. It has made such a huge difference to strengthen my core and protect my lower back that I bought one for home. It comes with a description of other exercises, and my son has tried some of those. It seems a little pricy, but it is very high quality (PT Office quality). I looked in the athletic stores and found cheaper plastic ones that had bumps all over them. That would would be fine if I wan't lying on it, I guess. They also didnt have the three height adgustments like this one. I would definitely recommend this over the plastic ones that I saw in the store.

I love my original rocker board and was ready to move on to something more challenging. This wobble board is like a graduate course in balance when used on hard bare floors. I put it on my folded Yoga mat and can manage better. It still is a bit too challenging so I'm going to look for/ make a bi-directional rocker board as an intermediary step.These boards make boring exercises a lot more engaging while building core strength and better balance.Love them.

On June 4th I broke my ankle in 3 places that required surgery on both sides of my ankle with a metal plate and 8 screws. On July 23rd I started a physical therapy regimen. The PT office started me using the 16" Fitter First "Classic" board by putting my injured foot on the board while seated and going through a series of range of motion exercises. The PT told me that it would be a great idea to purchase a board so that I could use it at home for additional rehab therapy. After going to the Fitter First web site and reading the Amazon reviews I concluded that I wanted either the 16" or 20" laminated plywood board (the Classic Board is a plastic or resin material). The 16" board is their intermediate to advanced model and has 3 settings with 15, 17 and 20 degree tilt angles. The 20" board is their beginner to intermediate model and has 3 settings with 10, 12 and 15 degree tilt angles. The identical pivot ball on the underside of both boards has 3 settings that allows you to set the degree of difficulty, i.e., the maximum amount of tilt. The 20" board has a greater diameter that provides a wider base to stand on but the increased diameter of the board limits the angle of tilt as compared to the 16" board.I decided to purchase the 20" board because I have a very limited range of motion and I can progress with my therapy using the lower degree settings available on the 20" board. This will also allow me to safely strengthen my ankle when I'm able to stand on the board with both feet knowing that I have the stability of a wider board and a limited and safe angle of tilt. Over time I can progress to the 15 degree angle, but I know that at some point I'm going to want to go to the intermediate to advanced settings available on the 16" board. Since the different degree angles between the two boards is based on the diameter of the board I have two choices when I want to transition to the advanced model. First, I can purchase the 16" board or I can cut the 20" board. At some point I won't need the 20" board so I have decided that I will cut the 20" board to suit my needs. For example, if you cut the board to an 18" radius the angle settings would be 12.5, 14.5 and 17.5 degrees. This allows you to progress as needed based on your rehab progress and the stability desired. Then, later as I progress I can cut the board again to the 16" model if I desire. This adjustment could be accomplished in 10 minutes with a band saw or if you don't have access to a band saw you can have it cut in a local wood shop or carpenter shop for $10. I believe that starting with the 20" board gives me the safety and flexibility I need as my balance, range of motion and skill progresses, so, if you're going through a similar therapy or you're just unsure about which model to purchase this might be a good option for you also and would preclude the need for buying multiple boards.As I progress through my PT I'll update this review with the pros and cons of the use of the wobble board progression for rehabilitation.As noted in some other reviews the top of the board is, in my opinion, too smooth for use barefooted. Since I can't wear a shoe yet I use a foot grip sock similar to the one shown on the Fitter First web site video. If you're not in a rehab situation you'll either need to wear athletic shoes for safety when using the board or add some anti-slip pads to the board.UPDATE - November 7, 2012: I reached the point in my therapy where I needed to increase my range of motion and I had maxed out the 20" inch board's angle of tilt so I took the board to a wood shop and had the diameter reduced to 16". I'm now ready to continue my therapy progression. The wobble board is a helpful recuperation aid and if you're purchasing a board for an ankle sprain or brake rehab I think you will be happy with your purchase.