Balance is a common problem seen in physical therapy. There are even some PT’s who specialize in Balance PT specifically.
Balance problems can be caused by many types of issues:
- Age
- Stroke
- Leg surgery
- Generalized weakness
- Diabetes
- Parkinson’s Disease
Balance exercises will usually be to improve proprioception in the legs. Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense where it is in space relative to everything around you. Check out the WebMD site to learn more about it.
Balance exercises will also improve strength in the legs and even your endurance. I will always include more specific leg strengthening exercises as a part of the workout regimen. Those exercises might include quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscle strengthening.
I will also include exercises that might not seem like they relate to balance training. One of those is the standing march activity. One of the symptoms of balance issues can be to shuffle your feet while walking. The marching activity will help retrain the legs to lift higher during walking, so you do not stub a toe and fall.
Standing Balance Exercises
Single Leg Stance
Tandem stance
Rhomberg stance
Marches
These exercises above can easily be made more difficult by closing your eyes or performing on an unstable surface like a mat.
In practice, the patients will be asked to perform the activities for 30 seconds 3 times. Understanding that 30 seconds might be too much depending on the persons endurance level, so building up to 30 seconds might be necessary.
Walking Balance Exercises
Hurdles
Weaving through cones
Side stepping
Walking exercises are also common for balance training because falling happens so often while walking.
In the clinic, I will have patients perform laps of these exercises depending on their endurance level.
Lastly, learning to activate your core muscles to help stabilize your body while walking and standing without falling or swaying too much. If you are interested in improving your core, check out the core exercises blog post here.
Because balance is a common problem seen in physical therapy, and because there are so many different causes, see a PT for help specialized for you!