Use a balance board or another unstable surface to further challenge the balance system.
Once you have developed enough balance that doing the exercises on a solid surface seems natural, try adding unstable surfaces to your routine. You want to be sure to have a spotter or position yourself near a wall or doorway, in case you need to catch yourself. To start, place a balance board on a thick, soft mat or a on a thick carpet. Stand on the board ¨C at first, just try to maintain your balance! Once you have your balance and feel comfortable, try gently rocking the board from front to back or from side to side by hinging at your ankles - avoid bending at your waist. Play around with facing different directions, shifting your weight, or doing semi-squats. You¡¯ll feel how your body responds differently based on what you are doing. Once you feel comfortable, try standing on the board on one foot.
Balance training can both limit one¡¯s risk of injury and play a fundamental role in rehabilitation.
Balance training starts simply with the proper stance. Pay careful attention to forming a good arch in your foot without bending your toes. This can be harder than it sounds! To achieve the arch, soften your knees and then turn them out without moving your feet; this should naturally lift the arch of your foot. Once you have mastered the correct, arched-foot stance, you can begin incorporating balance exercises into your routine. These exercises proceed from sitting to standing positions and from unstable to stable surfaces. Maintain the slightly arched foot stance throughout the exercises, except where you are explicitly instructed to alter your stance.
The one-leg stand is an excellent beginning exercise.
One basic exercise is to stand on one leg in a doorway. Start with your eyes open, holding the pose for 30 seconds. As you develop your balance, you can try to hold the position for longer, and you can also try it with your eyes closed. As you get more comfortable, you can incorporate leaning movements to further develop your balance and focus on specific goals. For example, taking a single step forward and leaning forward to hold a lunge position will emphasizes alignment, coordination and balance. Do the same going backwards and to the side to strengthen all of the muscle groups and to develop more complete lower-body balance.
Balance is a function of the strength and proprioceptive abilities of the musculoskeletal system.
Balance is the state of equilibrium; physically, balance is the condition during which the body's center of gravity is maintained within its base of support. Balance is a function of joint stability, which is influenced by the strength and proprioceptive abilities of the musculoskeletal system. Three sensors drive a sense of balance: the eyes, the inner ear and proprioceptors, or tiny sensors in each joint and muscle that sense the position of a joint relative to the rest of the body. While the eyes, the inner ear and proprioceptors contribute roughly equally to the sense of balance while standing still, dynamic activities, such as walking, running or jumping, engage proprioceptors disproportionately.
Poor balance can be the cause and/or the effect of various health problems.
Poor balance is associated with ataxia, or a general loss of coordination. Poor balance can contribute to lower-back pain, neck pain, arm numbness and tingling, as well as chronic ankle and knee pain or instability. People with poor balance can suffer serious musculoskeletal injury: acute ankle sprains, osteoarthritis, damage to the ACL, and dangerous falls that can cause fractures. Such falls are a significant risk for older people, as their bones are more susceptible to fracture and healing can be difficult, further limiting their mobility and again increasing the risks associated with poor balance.