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Balance, or postural stability, is a generic term used to describe the dynamic process of maintaining balanced body position.
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Static balance means the body is sitting or standing and dynamic balance refers to walking or running. Balance is greatest when a person is standing upright and the center of gravity (located about 55% of a person’s height or above the second sacral vertebra) is maintained over their base of support.
The base of support is the area around the feet, with a wider stance offering more stability and a narrower stance offering less stability. Balance exercises and training can benefit many people, from high-level athletes to weekend warriors with a sprained ankle, older adults and seniors looking to prevent failure and relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis.
If you have balance or stability issues, it is important to speak with a medical professional for proper evaluation. There are specific balance exercises to help with stability, and you can use them both preventively to avoid stability problems and for rehabilitation after injuries.
Before we get into balance exercises, let’s look at some terms associated with balance and motor control.
Engine control: It involves the somatosensory system, the vestibular system, and the visual system.
Visual system: open eyes will help maintain balance when the environment is static. However, visual input can be inaccurate if the environment is moving, such as when you’re in a parked car but think it’s moving only because you see another car moving next to you.
Somatosensory system: provides information about the position of the body and the parts of the body relative to each other and the support surface. This system includes proprioceptive structures found in muscles, tendons, joints, and skin. Feedback from these structures, such as Golgi tendon organs, muscle spindles, and mechanoreceptors, allows you to self-correct your position during balance exercises.
Within this system, we can measure:
vestibular system: If true: your ear contributes to balance. Both receptors located in the semicircular canals of the ear and calcium carbonate crystals called otoliths detect changes in the position of the head to allow for postural correction.
These systems work together to perform unconscious and voluntary movements during unstable activities.
Try these six balance exercises to strengthen the muscles and joints in your ankles, shins, and knees and prepare you for just about any obstacle life throws your way.
Why trust the spy?
It’s not just balance exercises that we know a lot about. Author Mark Barroso, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS, has studied for many years the best way to achieve muscular success. Before becoming a certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified and licensed athletic trainer, Barosso graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and professional writing. He can still find his work in Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Muscle & Fitness, Daily Burn and others. His advice is sought after by many, so we brought it all here for you.
Stellar Excursion Equilibrium Test (SEBT)
Required equipment: duct tape, white athletic tape
The SEBT is a lower extremity reaching test that challenges your limits of stability. It is sure for the evaluation of physically active adults.
How to do this balance exercise: Using tape, make a star on the floor with four strips of tape, each at a 45-degree angle. It can be helpful to draw a “+” sign and then draw an “X” through it. Stand barefoot in the center of the star – balance on one leg. The supporting leg should not move or lift off the ground. With the leg that is in the air, reach as far as you can and touch the front line with your toe. Return to center but don’t put your foot down or stop. Go to the next line (around 1 o’clock), making your way around all eight lines. Have a partner mark the distance in cm on each line to get a score. Switch feet and compare the balance on each leg.
Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) Test
Required equipment: Square foam pad
The BESS is to assess static and dynamic balance in an athletic population. The test requires three different standing positions performed on a flat surface and foam pad for 20 seconds with eyes closed.
The examiner looks for specific errors that count as 1 point in your total score. Errors include stepping or tripping, taking hands off hips, lifting forefoot or rearfoot, abducting or flexing hips more than 30 degrees, opening eyes, and staying out of test position for more than 5 seconds. If you make multiple errors at once, only one error is counted. The maximum number of errors per posture is 10.
How to do this balance exercise: Balance for 20 seconds with your eyes closed and your hands on your hips without making these mistakes during the following poses:
Posture 1. Double Leg Posture: Stand with your feet side by side.
Posture 2. One Legged Posture: Stand on your non-dominant leg with the other leg bent at 45 degrees and your hips flexed at 30 degrees.
Stance 3. Tandem Stance: Stand heel to toe with your dominant foot in front and your non-dominant foot behind.
Repeat these same three poses while standing on a square foam pad like an Airex.
The lower your score, the better, as your score is the number of mistakes you made between six 20-second tries.
Rocking Table Weight Shift
Necessary equipment: a rocking table. The Fitter Rocker Board has a bar underneath so you can turn it around and use it to move forward, backward, or side to side.
Anteroposterior weight shift: Stand on the wobble board with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Shift your weight forward (anterior) until the front end of the board touches the ground. Go back to the middle. Then shift your weight backwards (posterior) until the back of the board touches the ground. That is a repetition. Do 30 repetitions. Keep your knees bent for all 30 reps.
Medial-lateral weight shift: Stand on the wobble board in the same position as described above. This time, shift your weight to the left and tap the board to the left. Go back to the middle. Shift your weight to the right, tap the board to the right, and return to the middle. That is a repetition. Do 30 repetitions. Keep your knees bent for all 30 reps.
Front and back:
Side to side:
BAPS 4 Way Board balance exercise
Necessary equipment: BAPS Board
The Biomechanical Ankle Platform System (BAPS) plate is often seen in physical therapy and athletic training settings. The clinical version of this board has five different levels or screw-in attachments that raise the board off the floor. Level 1 is the easiest and level 5 is the most difficult. You don’t need the clinical version to rehab an ankle injury or work on your balance. Try any rocker board with a 1.5- to 2.5-inch-high center ball attachment.
The exercise to perform is to move the ankle in four directions. If you’re injured, do these exercises while sitting, then progress to partial weight bearing (standing on a table) and full weight bearing (one foot on the table, the other foot off).
How to do this balance exercise: Place your foot in the center of the board, opposite the side of the screw attachment.
Before, after: Move your foot weight forward (without lifting your foot off the board) until you hit the front of the board on the ground. Move back and hit the back of the board on the ground. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.
Medial-Lateral: Same as above, but touch the board from side to side.
Clock hands: Making circles on the BAPS takes some practice. Touch the front of the board to the ground and complete circles in a clockwise direction, keeping the edge of the board in contact with the ground. Make three sets of 10 circles in a clockwise direction. Keep your knee bent over the ankle joint, not straight.
Counterclockwise: Same as above but counterclockwise (circles in the other direction)
Bosu ball squat balance exercise
A Bosu Ball is a half sphere with one side filled with air and the other a flat circular platform. You can do exercises while standing on the blue side (filled with air) or flip it over and stand on the black side with the blue air bubble on the ground. It is more difficult to balance while standing on the flat black surface because the surface between the feet and the ground (the blue side) is unstable. One of the most common exercises on this device is a squat.
How to do this balance exercise: Start by standing on the blue side with your feet shoulder-width apart. He sits up slowly as if sitting on a chair, bending his knees 90 degrees until his thighs are parallel to the ground. Do three sets of 10 repetitions. Once you’ve got this down, flip the Bosu Ball over to the other side and try to squat on the flat side.
speed skater balance exercise
This exercise requires no equipment and improves the stability of the hip, knee, and ankle joints. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart: Balance on your right leg, lifting your left leg in the air with your knee bent. Now, laterally jump from the right leg to the left side, landing on the left foot. Land softly, absorbing the impact by landing with your left knee slightly bent. The right leg is now the one in the air. Next, jump sideways to the right and land on your right leg. That’s one rep for each leg. Do three sets of 10 repetitions for each leg.
balance exercise equipment
Airex Balance Exercise Pad
Buy: Airex Balance Exercise Pad $84.99
First Fitter rocker plate
Buy: Fitter First Rocker Board $139.95
Can-Do Balance Board
Buy: Can Do Balance Board $48.25
Bosu balance trainer
Buy: Bosu Balance Trainer $155.99
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