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Developing Good Balance is Critical Element of
Healthy Aging
Indiana University researchers design program for older
people to improve balance
 Sept. 20, 2005 - Balance has less to do with
strength and everything to do with an elderly person's ability to get
around and live independently. Yet, few people in their later years
think to practice balancing -- until it's too late. A study at Indiana
University Bloomington has produced a balance improvement program that
can be done at home.
(See step-by-step
exercise below story.)
A fall that involves broken bones, aside from
potentially leading to death, often results in a dramatic decline in
mobility, health, independence and quality of life, even after the
breaks heal, the researchers point out.
Practicing three balance postures for just 15
minutes a day, four days a week, improved the balance of 55-to
60-year-old participants in their study that looked at whether a
home-based balance program could improve balance. The IUB researchers
were intrigued by the prospect of a home-based balance training program,
as opposed to physical therapy, which often involves costs and travel.
The exercises can be practiced alone or
incorporated into an existing physical fitness regimen. Before trying
these at home, a person should consider the following:
> Anyone who has had a stroke or has an
existing gait problem or diabetes should discuss the poses with his or
her physician.
> Study participants were fairly fit to begin with. The research was
geared toward helping people with their balance before it becomes
problematic.
Before and after the six-week balance regimen,
researchers carefully measured the participants balancing abilities,
including sway patterns, and found that the speed at which the
participants swayed actually increased by the end of the six-week study
-- and this is a good thing. Doctoral student Koichi Kitano said the
increased velocity of the participants' sway patterns increased their
stability.
David Koceja, a professor in IU Bloomington's Department of Kinesiology,
said sway patterns change as people age. For senior citizens, their sway
patterns are likely to be more circular. Koceja said he expected the
balance poses in the study to reduce the amount of the troublesome side
to side sway in study participants. Instead, the participants saw an
average increase, or improvement, in their sway speed of 16 percent.
"We took the balance system and instead of being
more sluggish, it became more flexible and adaptive," Koceja said.
This exercise presentation is part of "Living Well
Through Healthy Lifestyles," which is the guiding philosophy of IU
Bloomington's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In
keeping with that philosophy, this tipsheet offers information related
to both physical and mental well-being. Faculty in other IU schools and
departments also contribute their expertise in this area.
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Home balance
training directions
Safety:
-
Consider performing the
exercises close to a soft surface or near a chair or
other supportive object.
-
Perform them on the
hardest surface available.
-
Position yourself so you
have a spot on which to focus, preferably something at
eye height on an opposite wall.
Time:
-
Study participants were
asked to practice the poses for 15 minutes a day, four
days weekly, for six weeks. The daily practices could be
spread out throughout the day, as long as five-minute
segments were devoted to each pose. One pose could be
practiced in the morning, for example, with the two
remaining poses performed later in the day.
-
The poses can be
performed alone or as part of a fitness regimen.
Basic poses:
 Forward
knee lift.
Click to Watch
in Real Video
-
Begin with both feet flat
on the ground about shoulder width apart.
-
While placing all of your
weight on your right leg, lift your left knee. You can
start by lifting in just an inch or two, but gradually
lift it higher.
-
The
target position
is when the knee is in the air and the upper thigh is
parallel with the ground.
-
Hold this position for as
long as you can, a maximum of 15 seconds, and then
alternate legs.
-
Continue alternating for
five minutes.
-
Once you are able to hold
the position for 15 seconds you may move on to the next
progression.
 Side
leg lift.
Click to
Watch
in Real Video
-
Begin with both feet flat
on the ground about shoulder width apart.
-
While placing all of your
weight on your right leg, lift your left leg straight
out to the side. Try to keep the leg you are lifting
straight.
-
The
target position
is when the leg is lifted straight out to a 45 degree
angle. Do not lift higher.
-
Hold this position for as
long as you can, a maximum of 15 seconds, and then
alternate legs.
-
Continue alternating legs
for five minutes.
-
Once you are able to hold
the position for 15 seconds, you may move on to the next
progression.
 Stork
stance.
Click to Watch
in Real Video
-
Begin with both feet flat
on the ground about shoulder width apart.
-
While placing all of your
weight on your right leg, reach forward with your right
arm and lift your left leg straight back. Try to keep
your back straight so that your outreached arm and back
form a straight line. Your knees may bend slightly.
Reach forward as far as you can.
-
The
target position
is when both the outstretched arm and leg are parallel
to the ground, forming a straight line.
-
After you reach as far as
you can, slowly return to the original starting
position.
-
Continue alternating arms
and legs for five minutes.
-
Once you are able to
reach forward and then return to the original starting
position without faltering, you may move on to the next
progression.
Progressions:
-
Each pose becomes
progressively more difficult in the same manner. A more
advanced progression can be attempted once you can
successfully hold a pose for 15 seconds on each leg
without the aid of a support and without flailing.
-
The basic poses are
described above.
-
The first progression
involves first performing the basic pose and then
slowly turning
your head from one side to the next
during the 15 second period (Watch,
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/pub/libs/images/usr/headturn2.ram).
-
The final progression
involves performing the basic pose and then
closing your eyes
for the 15-second period.
-
Please review the
directions frequently until you are familiar with the
poses and progressions.
Photos by:
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