Balance training is so important to our everyday life. Whether it’s beginning as a toddler or when we are active aging adults.
Balance has such a big influence on things such as ankle sprains, it is important to restore ankle function as soon as possible after an injury. One important goal is to prevent the ankle from giving way recurrently during weight-bearing activity, such as running, walking, or even standing. This chronic ankle instability, often caused by inadequate healing or rehabilitation after a sprain, can result in increasingly injurious sprains, arthritis, or tendon problems.
Experts in sports medicine and physical therapy say that in addition to the usual range of motion, flexibility, and strengthening exercises, rehabilitation should include exercises aimed at training the body’s sense of balance as a whole.
Ways to work balance exercise into everyday life:
It may be easier than you think to fit balance training into your daily routine. Try some of the following activities:
- Stand on one leg whenever you’re waiting in line at the theater, bank, or grocery store.
- Stand on one leg while brushing your teeth: one minute on one leg while brushing the upper teeth, and another minute on the other leg while brushing the lower teeth.
- Keep a wobble board in your office; stand on it during a break or whenever you’re on the phone.
- Practice sitting down and getting up from a chair without using your hands.
- Practice walking heel to toe — that is, like a tightrope walker, placing the heel of one foot just in front of the toes of the opposite foot each time you take a step.
- Take a dance class (in person or online. Check out our YWellness24/7 for more online options), or take up social dancing. Although more research is needed, there’s evidence that dance can improve balance and stability. Studies comparing dancers to non-dancers suggest that dancers rely more on proprioception than on visual cues.
- Check out our Group Ex schedule for a balance class that would be perfect for you.
Not just for athletes
Balance training helps reduce the risk of falls in older adults with balance problems and women with low bone mass. It also improves postural stability after a stroke. More research is needed to identify which components of balance training do the best and to test them for preventing falls and injuries in healthy adults. So far, the evidence hasn’t been sufficient for an official recommendation, such as the one for physical activity that most of us know (by heart!): To reduce your risk for chronic disease and preserve function, get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking) on all or most days of the week, plus resistance and flexibility exercise a couple of times a week.
Many organizations, including the National Institute on Aging, recognize the importance of balance for preventing falls — especially among older people — and recommend certain techniques for improving it, often as part of strength training. Besides being one of the normal challenges of aging, balance problems are also a concern for people with such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and osteoporosis.
