Balance Basics
This is part I of a 2-part feature on the benefits of balance training in the pool. In “Balancing Act,” we provide background information about the importance of balance training and how to assess your balance. In part II, we share 6 tips for incorporating balance training into your water workouts.
Let’s face it: we ALL need to work on our balance. Whether you’re learning to ride a bike, perfecting your beam routine, hiking Rattlesnake Canyon, or simply wanting to prevent falls, you can benefit from adding balance training into your exercise regimen. This article describing results from a British Journal of Sports Medicine study even went as far to suggest that how long you can stand on one foot may predict how long you’ll live!
Balance is just one of many intrinsic risk factors for falls. Other factors include advanced age, muscle weakness, sensory impairments, gait problems, fear of falling, poor vision, postural hypotension, a history of falls, and other chronic conditions like Parkinson’s Disease, arthritis, dementia, stroke, diabetes, and incontinence.
Balance is simply the body’s ability to maintain its center of mass over its base of support. While the idea of balance usually conjures images of standing on one foot, balance is often linked to movement. Balance plays a role in EVERY element of our lives: getting dressed, showering, getting in and out of the car, cooking a meal, climbing stairs… you get the picture.
Balance is considered a trainable motor skill, which means it can get better (and at any age!), but only if you practice consistently (or regularly perform activities that challenge your balance, like hiking, yoga, or walking on the beach). If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Before you begin integrating balance training into your water workouts (or home program), you must first understand how balance works and then identify what specific areas you need to address.
Balance requires the coordination of your body’s visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems. The role of vision is quite obvious: being able to identify uneven surfaces and obstacles in your path is quite helpful, right? The vestibular system consists of nerve receptors in the inner ear that respond to changes in head position. Anyone who has experienced dizziness or vertigo understands just how important the vestibular system is for maintaining equilibrium! The somatosensory system is linked to proprioception, or your body’s ability to sense its position in space using receptors in tissues and joints. This is the system that most people associate with balance!
Gordon Physical Therapy describes how to do the Romberg tests at home to see if you have any issues with your visual, vestibular, or sensory systems. Give them a try & let us know how you did!
Checking your single leg balance is another way to assess your stability on each leg. While most folks have a more dominant side, your scores should be relatively similar. Our friends at Rogue Physical Therapy put together a great graphic that summarizes gender & age norms per a Springer et al 2007 study. To perform this test, healthy subjects stood barefoot with arms across their chest. The raised foot was near, but not touching, the ankle of their stance limb. If the raised leg, arms, or standing foot moved, the test ended. Try it (but only if you can do so safely!)… how do you stack up?
Even if your static balance is relatively good, you may still have issues with your dynamic balance; that is, your ability to stabilize with movement. Testing your dynamic balance is more difficult to do on your own, but if you have noticed any issues with everyday activities (walking down hills or stairs, standing to put on your pants or shoes, reaching overhead into a cabinet, walking to the bathroom at night, getting on/off your bike, etc.), or if you’ve found yourself tripping or rolling your ankle more frequently, it may be worth discussing with a physical therapist. Balance problems can also be the result of coordination deficits, impaired reaction time, difficulty recruiting ankle/hip/stepping strategies (for fall prevention), limited joint range of motion, pain, muscle weakness, and previous injuries. A comprehensive assessment with a physical therapist could help you determine what areas to target with your balance training program.
In part 2 of our balance blog, we’ll share our favorite ways to incorporate balance training into your everyday activities and your pool workouts. The water is one of the safest environments to challenge your balance… and yes, just like strength training, balance training must be difficult (but not impossible!) in order to see progress!
Content provided on this website is for informational and educational purposes only; it does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. Always seek the advice of your physician regarding your health conditions and prior to initiating an exercise program.
