Best Balance Exercises To Improve Stability

Balance exercises avoid abrupt falls. They are vital for all of us to avoid harm but are especially helpful for older folks or people with a head trauma or accident, an inner ear infection, or who have undergone surgery lately. Without correct balance, everyday acts like standing up, sitting down, walking, moving on uneven ground surfaces, or rolling over can become difficult without tripping over and falling. That is why completing balance exercises is so crucial.

Start with 20 minutes of balance exercises per day, and keep to those given by your physical therapist if you are seeing one. Start at the neck, then move to the chest, and lastly, the lower extremities. Make sure to include balance exercises on one leg in your normal fitness program.

Improving balance takes time and practice. Depending on the degree of your injury or infection, it may take a few weeks to many months to improve your balance. Be patient — you will soon start feeling better and accomplishing things without any assistance.

According to a study published in the Journal Of Athletic exercise, balancing exercise can increase the strength and stability of ankles. The study recruited 39 participants with chronic ankle instability to examine the improvement of patient-reported outcomes after balance- and strength-training and control methods. As the graph demonstrates, all individuals, regardless of group, improved from the pre-test to the post-test.

8 Best Balance Exercises You Can Try At Home

Incorporating balancing exercises and stability training into your fitness program will considerably help your general health and well-being. Before commencing, you should realize that balance exercises should always be done in progression. No one can accomplish all balances properly right away — they take time and practice, especially if you are recuperating from an injury. And these exercises focus on strengthening core strength, improving proprioception, and enhancing flexibility, all of which are critical for injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Let’s start with the two kinds of balancing exercises – static and dynamic. Static balance exercises include keeping a position, whereas dynamic balance exercises entail moving through a posture while maintaining balance. Once you are sure about executing exercises of both categories with ease, you may start doing strength workouts to recuperate entirely. You need to be confident in your balance before you can start weight bearing strength activities. Without further ado, let’s begin!

Exercises To Increase Static Balance

1. Supine On Mat Or Bed

How To Do

• Lie down on a mat or your bed. Flex your knees and draw them close to your chest by putting your hands around your shins or behind your thighs.

• Roll over to your right, hold for two seconds, and then roll back to the beginning position.

• Roll over to your left, hold for two seconds, and then roll back to the beginning position.

Note: Do not do this exercise if you are recovering from knee surgery.

Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 5 reps

2. 4-Point Stance On Mat Or Bed

How To Do

• Lie down on a mat or your bed.

• Roll over to your right and get into a prone position on your stomach.

• Clench your fists, bend your elbows and knees, and use your arm strength to lift your upper body and then your torso.

• Get down on your hands and knees. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders, your knees are under your hips, your back is flat, your shoulders are pulled down, and your abdominals are drawn in. Hold this stance for 10 seconds.

• Lower your torso slowly and get into a resting stance.

• Repeat one more time if you feel comfortable.

Note: You might need assistance initially from your physical therapist as you hold the pose for 10 seconds.

Sets And Reps – 2-3 sets of 10 seconds’ hold

3. 3-Point Stance On Mat Or Bed

How To Do

• Get down on your hands and knees (hands under shoulders, knees under hips, shoulders pulling down, back flat).

• Lift your left leg off the mat and extend it rearward in line with your hip. Do not let your hips or shoulders wobble or your lower back arch. Brace your core by tightening your abdominals, pulling your shoulders down, and squeezing your glutes.

• Hold this stance for 5-10 seconds.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 3 reps

4. 2-Point Stance On Mat Or Bed (Bird Dog)

How To Do

• Get down on your hands and knees (hands under shoulders, knees under hips, shoulders pulling down, back flat).

• Slowly lift your left hand off the mat and extend it forward in line with your ear. Turn your thumb up to the ceiling. Keep your shoulder down and arm at shoulder height.

• Lift your right knee off the mat and extend your leg behind your hip. Pull your abdominals in, compress your glute, and do not let your lower back arch.

• Do not let your body, shoulders, or hips lean or wobble. Brace your core by tightening your abdominals, pulling your shoulders down, and squeezing your glutes. Press down into the hand on the mat to stabilize your shoulder down.

• Hold this stance for 5-10 seconds.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 2 reps

5. Assisted Kneeling

How To Do

• Get down on your hands and knees (hands under shoulders, knees under hips, shoulders pulling down, back flat).

• Your physical therapist will place a gym ball in front of you. Place your right hand on it.

• Once you are comfortable, lay your left hand on the ball and elevate your torso slowly.

• Get into a kneeling position.

• Your physical therapist will help to stabilize your shoulders and back if needed. Pull your shoulders down, your abs in, and engage your back muscles.

• Hold this stance for 20 seconds.

• Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 3 reps

Read Also: Advantages Of Stretching And Fundamental Exercises

6. Crawling

Caution: Do not do this workout if you just had knee surgery or are not allowed to put any pressure on your knees.

How To Do

• Get down on your hands and knees (hands under shoulders, knees under hips, shoulders pushing down, back flat) Crawl forward and backward by moving your opposite hand and leg forward at the same time. Do not let your torso wobble or your hips or shoulders lift or shift. Brace through your core. You might require support from your physical therapist in the beginning.

• Crawl sideways as well, using the opposite hand and arm and keeping the same steadiness through your body.

• Always move the opposite hand and knee at the same time and keep your shoulders over your wrists and knees beneath your hips.

• Increase the distance progressively as you advance.

Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 2-4 crawls each way

7. Kneeling To Standing

How To Do

• Get down on your hands and knees (hands under shoulders, knees under hips, shoulders pulling down, back flat) in front of a stall bar or near a chair. Make sure that the chair is solid and strong enough to take your weight. Your physical therapist will stand behind you.

• Hold one of the lower bars, one hand after another, place your right foot in front of you, and keep the right knee bent over your ankle. Or place one palm on the chair and move into a seated lunge position.

• Use your body’s strength and assistance from your physical therapist to move into a standing posture slowly. Try not to let your knees roll in or out — press into your feet and use your glutes to stand up. Keep your core strong, posture tall, and shoulders tall.

• Slowly drop into the kneeling position with the support of your physical therapist again, making sure your torso and legs don’t wobble, and repeat.

Sets And Reps – 2 sets of 2 reps

8. Standing Between Parallel Bars

How To Do

• Stand supporting two parallel bars.

• Place one foot front, keep your shoulders down and core firm, and sway from side to side.

• Do this 10 times and then sway backward and forward.

• Do this 10 times.

Sets And Reps – 3 sets of 3 reps

You must execute these workouts for around 3-4 weeks. Consult with your doctor and physiotherapist before progressing to the next step - dynamic balancing exercises. Make sure you are confident in all of the static balance exercises and regular walking before continuing to these activities.