We all know we need balance to walk and have often seen our elderly relatives slowly lose their ability to balance as they age, but why is it so important? And how can balance give us an insight into how long a person will live?

How do we balance?

Our balance is created using input from three different systems

1. What we can see (visual system)

2. Fluid in our ears telling us which was is up (vestibular system)

3. Signals from our muscles, ligaments and tendons telling us where our body is in space (proprioceptive system)

Our brain collects all this data and creates change in our muscles to maintain balance (motor system) via the nervous system. It’s the complex interrelationship between these systems creates balance. Unfortunately, if we have problems in any one of these systems, our balance can decline.

Why does balance get worse?

Since balance uses so many systems, a problem in any of these systems causes problems.  For example, our muscles weaken as we get older and no longer send accurate information to the brain (proprioception), making it harder to create good balance. Then our muscles cannot react as quickly to maintain balance because they are weaker.

Interestingly, cardiovascular disease and other disorders also affect our balance because it causes problems in the vestibular system (our ears). And deteriorating vision, such as glaucoma and cataracts compromise our ability to balance. The ability to balance really is an overall health check for so many things.

Why does balance matter?

Middle aged or elderly people who cannot balance on one leg for 10 seconds are twice as likely to die within 10 years because, firstly, how well a person can balance gives us insight into their overall health with a lack of balance being linked to a greater risk of stroke and cancer. And secondly if we can’t balance, we fall, and falls when we are older are serious because they cause serious injury, hospitalisation and death, often due to complications either in hospital or surgery. Also, if we fall when older we get scared and that fear stops us from moving even more, leading to a decline in overall health.

How to improve your balance

All is not lost; balance is something we can easily practice at home to improve, the earlier the better.  Please do make sure you have someone with you when you first try to practice balance, especially if you have never done it before. Here are the stages of balance practice but make sure you don’t move to the next task until you can easily do the one before

1. Stand on one leg holding onto something. Hook your free foot on the back of your standing leg and keep a steady gaze ahead for 30 seconds on each leg

2. Once steady with this, intermittently release the hold with your hand

3. When this is easy, stop holding onto anything and lets your arms hand by your side

4. To progress, stand on one leg as before but do not hook the free foot behind the standing leg, just hold it in the air

5. Finally, once this is easy start slowly marching on the spot

Improving balance really does improve so many parts of our health, keeping us active and ensuring we do not fall in later life.  Why not test your balance today.  Please do consult a health professional if you are at all worried about your balance.