Balance Basics
Balance, defined as the ability to maintain postural control is a fundamental component of performing everyday tasks. Most of us take it for granted until we lose it. Who hasn’t slipped on an icy sidewalk or felt panicked while walking across a narrow bridge?
These temporary lapses of control are inconvenient and sometimes painful, but what happens when maintaining balance becomes a daily struggle?
There may be many reasons why an individual might have impaired balance that affects them daily. In general, someone with a musculoskeletal injury (i.e., a ligament sprain or a muscle pull) or an alteration of sensorimotor function (i.e., due to a concussion or the normal process of aging) may have deficits in balance. Research suggests that these individuals would likely benefit from balance training programs (Frankel et al., 2006; Lecci et al., 2019; Park et al., 2019; Terada et al., 2019).
Let’s take a closer look at what we mean by the word balance. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), balance can be classified in three ways static, semi-dynamic, and dynamic. Static balance applies to situations when you seek to maintain postural control within a stationary position, for example, standing still on one foot. Semi-dynamic balance refers to instances when you seek to maintain balance within a stationary limit of stability, yet the base supporting the body is in movement (e.g., you are riding on a skateboard). Dynamic balance occurs when you seek to maintain your center of mass over an ever-changing limit of stability; for example, you are running on an uneven surface.
Sound complicated? It is. According to NASM, maintaining balance in these various conditions requires integrating multiple body systems, including vision, vestibular, and the somatosensory systems, as well as properly timed muscle contractions, to maintain the center of mass within the limits of stability.
Mechanisms of Balance
Let’s break it down more. The ability to feel that your center of mass (COM) is moving toward your limit of stability is a product of three sense-based systems: vision, vestibular, and somatosensation (Michael Selzer et al., 2006; Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 2016) (Figure 17-2). Vision is typically used to provide information to the central nervous system about your body’s location in space (Kwon, 2018). Balance may be more difficult when your eyes are closed because you can no longer use vision to determine your body’s position in space. People often use vision to determine the best foot placement to maintain balance when moving over unstable surfaces (Logan et al., 2010). The vestibular system is controlled by sensory receptors in the inner ear and provides the brain information about spatial orientation and the movement of the head in space (Valovich McLeod & Hale, 2015). Somatosensation refers to the ability to feel changes in pressure on the skin, muscle length, and joint angles. Somatosensation is critically important for balancing on unstable surfaces and tasks that involve dynamic balance.
NASM instructs its trainers that balance exercises are a vital component of an integrated training program for all fitness levels because they help ensure optimal muscle recruitment and coordinated movement. NASM also stresses that balance training exercises must be systematic and progressive.
Next Steps
If you or someone you know is struggling with balance, here is a list of exercises that NASM suggests be mastered before moving to more challenging forms of balance training:
Tandem stance
Single-leg balance
Single-leg balance reach
Single-leg hip internal and external rotation
Single-leg lift and chop
Single-leg arm and leg motion
Single-leg windmill
Single-leg throw and catch
Go to VirtaFitness.com/yourprograms and sign up for Balance Basics (Now just $1.00 for two weeks of access in the app) to receive video instructions that demonstrate each of these movements.
