Why Train Balance? The Overlooked Key to Movement and Health

Balance is something we often take for granted – until it starts to decline. Whether you are recovering from injury, looking to improve athletic performance, or simply aiming to stay active and confident as you age, balance training plays a vital role. As an Osteopath, Clinical Pilates Instructor, and Personal Trainer, I see balance not as a “nice extra”, but as a foundation for healthy movement.

What Do We Mean by Balance?
Balance is the ability to keep your body’s centre of gravity over its base of support, whether standing still or during movement. It relies on a complex interaction between your visual system, inner ear (vestibular system), muscles, joints, and nervous system (Shumway-Cook & Woollacott, 2017).

Why Balance Matters in Daily Life
Good balance is essential for everyday activities:

• Walking on uneven ground

• Climbing stairs without holding a rail

• Carrying shopping without stumbling

• Getting up from the floor or a low chair

When balance is reduced, the risk of falls, injuries, and movement difficulties increases (Muir et al., 2010). Even in younger adults, poor balance can contribute to inefficient movement and a greater chance of sports-related injuries.

Balance and Injury
After an injury, especially to the ankle, knee, or hip, proprioception (your sense of body position) can become impaired. This makes balance more challenging and increases the risk of re-injury. Specific balance training helps retrain these sensory–motor pathways, restoring confidence and control (Han et al., 2015).

The Role of Exercise in Balance Training
Different approaches can be used to train balance effectively:

• Clinical Pilates: controlled, mindful movements improve posture, stability, and proprioception.

• Strength and conditioning: exercises such as single-leg work or stability drills build strong, supportive muscles.

• Functional training: replicating real-life movements helps transfer improvements to daily activity.

Research consistently shows that balance training reduces fall risk in older adults, improves athletic performance, and supports rehabilitation after injury (Lesinski et al., 2015).

Conclusion
Balance is more than the ability to stand on one leg – it is the foundation of safe, confident, and efficient movement. Whether your goal is recovery, prevention, or performance, balance training deserves a central place in your exercise routine.

References

• Han J, et al. (2015). Proprioception and balance training can improve proprioception and balance in young adults. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(8), 2265–2270.

• Lesinski M, et al. (2015). Effects of balance training on balance performance in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 45(12), 1721–1738.

• Muir SW, et al. (2010). Balance impairment as a risk factor for falls in community-dwelling older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58(9), 1849–1853.

• Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott M. (2017). Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.