Balance, Stability and Fall Prevention
As summer approaches we may find ourselves being more active whether traveling to foreign countries, hiking, playing with grandkids, or navigating slippery surfaces around pools. These types of environments might also come with increased challenges to our balance which can lead to higher risk of injuries from slips and falls. The good news is that balance is a skill that can be improved. In this month’s newsletter we will learn more about balance and how we can improve it daily so we can enjoy being active without fear of falling.
Understanding balance and why it declines
There are three systems our body relies on to orient itself. The vestibular (inner ears), visual, and proprioceptive systems (body’s subconscious ability to perceive its own position in space). These three systems work together to help keep us balanced. As we age, these can start to decline.
Vestibular system: The inner ear contains nerve cells that assist w/balance, and eye movement. Studies show that the number of nerve cells begin to decrease at around age 40 (1) we also have decreased blood flow to our inner ear canal. These changes can increase unsteadiness and lessen spatial awareness.
Visual system: The structure and function of our eyes both change with aging. For example, the pupil will react more slowly to light and darkness changes as our lenses become less flexible. Two other common changes affecting our visual system are to our visual acuity and the moistness of our eyes.
Proprioception: Signals from the brain to our muscles begin to slow down and are not as reactive, this reduces muscle strength as well as postural control (2)
Lack of activity: A sedentary lifestyle can create stiffness, lack of mobility and decreased muscle. Our body is meant to move, lack of movement not only affects balance, but also spine health, heart health, and natural lubrication of joints.
Medications: Certain prescription drugs have side effects such as dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, and blurred vision. The number of prescriptions we are taking can also increase the frequency and intensity of potential side effects (It’s best to have this discussion with your doctor before adjusting any prescriptions).
Action tips for better balance
-Ensure a Safe Home Environment: If you currently have balance issues look at your home environment. Make sure rugs are secure and have adequate lighting, especially at night.
-Be barefoot: This is especially helpful for proprioception. It can help stimulate better walking posture, activate nerves in our feet, and keep our arches strong and responsive. You might even consider investing in toe spacers.
-Do Daily foot activations: These can be done daily in the morning and evening. They are meant to stimulate the nerves under our feet. You can do self-massage under your foot either with your thumbs or with a ball. You can even do a self-check before and after starting and notice if you are able to feel more of your foot and have more feeling underneath your foot. If you have purchased a Neuro ball from us, you can click the link for specific activations using the Neuro ball. (3)
-Get quality sleep: Lack of sleep can lead to slow reaction times. Fatigue also reduces fine motor skills and reduces the accuracy of our own body awareness.
-Observe Your Breathing: With breathing specifically, we want to make sure we are not a chest breather but focus more on using our diaphragm and getting lateral expansion of the ribs. Diaphragmatic breathing promotes a more relaxed state for our nervous system. This more relaxed state helps create a more stable posture and relaxes overworked secondary muscles.
Lower body strength: Lower body strength is one of the most effective ways to improve balance. Building strength and endurance in our ankles, legs, and hips creates a stable foundation as we go about our daily activities. Whether we are walking on uneven ground, in a busy store, catching ourselves from a stumble, or getting up from a chair, lower body strength will reduce our likelihood of losing balance.
Strong legs and ankles are important when balance is challenged. Fast twitch muscle fibers in our legs help us to quickly react to sudden weight shift changes or unexpected surface changes. With age these fast twitch muscle fibers tend to not be recruited as often. The result is a decline in reaction time, thus increasing fall risk. There is good news though! We can recruit these important fibers by putting exercises in our routine that promote power. Some examples are pogo hops, jumping rope, and jumping jacks.
Balance is a skill and that’s good news. As I shared today, balance does decline with age. But also, as I shared today, you have much to say about how quickly that decline occurs. I hope you are encouraged to put into practice one or more of the strategies I shared in today’s newsletter so you can continue to move better to feel better to live better!
References:
https://youtu.be/qWmqI8OdAno?si=ImbtVv_YONqb39CJ
Ferlinc, A., Fabiani, E., Velnar, T., & Gradisnik, L. (2019). The importance and role of proprioception in the elderly: A short review. Materia Socio-Medica, 31(3), 219–221. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2019.31.219-221
National Library of Medicine. (2025). Aging changes in organs, tissues, and cells. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004013.htm
