What’s the deal with balance training? Are balance exercises only improving the individuals ability to perform that specific exercise with little carry over? In persons with balance impairments and frequent falls, is balance training appropriate?
Balance involves a number of structures and physiologic processes
- Vision
- Proprioception
- Vestibular system
This information is integrated and used to effect subsequent movement of the body and eyes.
A problem at any of these levels may influence balance, and problems affecting more than one of these results in more significant impairments. For example, impaired vision, vestibular neuritis, otoliths, strokes affecting the vestibular system, or neuropathies affecting proprioceptive abilities can all affect the sensory side. Muscular weakness (local or generalized) or other motor control impairments can affect the “output” side.
Assuming these components are all intact, balance training – like any other form of training – is expected to generate adaptations that are specific to the task. To the extent that balance is impaired by muscular weakness (e.g., in the setting of sarcopenia, for example), strength training in general would be expected to provide some benefit, but may still be supplemented with task-specific work if needed.
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Hi, another balance query. I’m running the At-Home Template and doing dumbbell RDLs as the first exercise on day 3. The standard DB RDL is too easy, so I’m doing single-leg. But I can barely get my work sets done because my balance is so poor—wobbly ankles and feet. It’s frustrating because I know I could get the exercise done with good form if not for this limiting factor. What’s the best course of action? Are there any supplementary exercises I should be doing to help my balance? Or should this resolve itself with more training?