Here are the main types of boards used in rehabilitation:
alphabet board : A board used by a person who cannot speak but can compose words or sentences by pointing to the letters of the alphabet on the board. Numbers and certain often-used words such as eat, water, toilet, tired, cold, may be included in full.
balance board : A board mounted on an unstable support under its center, used for the evaluation and education or reeducation of the sense of balance. The subject may either sit or stand on the board. It may be rectangular, square, or orund, and of various sizes. The support may also be of different dimensions and shapes, providing for a seesaw motion or, if it is a hemisphere resting on its pole, for mobility, in all directions. Called also a rocker, rocking, or seesaw board because of the role played by the vestibule of the ear in the maintenance of balance.
communication board : Plane representing the graphic language used by the user.
exercise board : A board of wood or synthetic material with a smooth surface to facilitate the gliding of a limb or other part of the body placed on it for exercises. In order to further decrease friction of the moving part, talc may be used (see powder board) or a skate may be attached to the moving mlimb (see skate board).
finger board : A device for exercises of the hand and its digits.
Footboard : A board, usually plywood, placed vertically at the foot end of the bed in order to keep the bedclothes off the feet, thereby giving the latter freedom and decreasing the danger of pressure and plantarflexion deformity.
fracture board : A board, usually plywood, placed under the mattress of a bed in order to overcome sagging and to provide a better horizontal position for its user. So named because of its indication for patients with fracture of thoracic or lumbar vertebrae. Also used in low back pain and other conditions.
hip board : An exercise board in the form of a half disk with a central cutout, used for exercises of the lower limb.
Lapboard : A board of wood, plastic, or other rigid material, placed on the arms of a wheelchair or other chair with arms, thus providing a table surface for its occupant.
powder board : Exercise board on which talc or a similar powder is spread to diminish friction of the moving part.
prone board : A board on which the patient, usually a child, is placed or strapped in the prone position. It can remain horizontal or, if provided with a footboard, be raised at its head end to a vertical or intermediate position. It allows its user to perform activities in various. Called also standing board.
skate board : Board on which part of the body, supported by a skate, moves with little friction, either for exercise or to counteract a tendency to contracture deformity. For example, a hip or knee flexion contracture is counteracted in supine position with a skate under the heel.
slant board : A board placed in an inclined position; used for bronchial drainage or certain exercises.
standing board :
- Prone board
- A board used like a tilt table. With the patient strapped on it in the supine position, it is raised and attached by hooks to a bed frame or a wall bar, thus providing the patient with a more or less upright position.
testing board : A wooden board with an assortment of objects of various shapes and sizes (square blocks, disks, dowels, screws, bolts, wingnuts, keys, etc.), to be handled by a patient. It serves to assess dexterity, e.g., in the use of an orthosis or prosthesis of the upper limb, and to develop skill, hand-eye coordination, etc.
transfer board : A board aiding in the transfer of a patient by spanning the space between bed and wheelchair, wheelchair and car, etc. It measures about 30 by 75 c.m. and is made of wood or rigid plastic. Its surface is smooth for easy sliding. It may also have one or two hooks so that it can be attached to the wheelchair. Called also sliding board or bridge board.
