Balance is an element of fitness that combines with strength, cardio, and flexibility to create a complete picture of overall health. Whether you are holding a yoga pose, looking to improve your agility, or increase strength, balance training improves performance in every aspect of life.

Increased strength

Any form of exercise challenges the muscles and the nervous to increase communication to these areas. With balance therapy, the nervous system communicates with muscles to increase in strength and take on more tasks, ultimately increasing muscle strength. As your nervous system becomes more efficient, it is more skilled at recruiting more muscular power to increase strength and maximize capabilities in everyday functions. Many of the muscles used retraining your vestibular system are unique to your typical training programs and will really provide you with a challenge.

Joint stability

Joint stability is the ability to control and maintain the joint movement or position. This is achieved when related muscle groups and tissues surrounding the joints coordinate with the neuromuscular system to achieve smooth, controlled movements. Increased stability reduces the amount of stress to knees, ankles, hips, and shoulders whether you are recovering from an injury or looking to avoid further damage.

Greater coordination

Coordination refers to your body’s ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently. Balance therapy increases your body’s control over movement by nurturing a healthy mind and body connection. Many athletes suffering from a vestibular deficiency aren’t even aware of it. Sometimes the brain is physically incapable of communicating to the arms, legs or body to move in a particular direction at a particular time, and advanced balance retraining can repair this challenge.

Improved agility

Often related to reaction time, agility refers to your body’s ability to change positions immediately to catch or brace yourself before a fall occurs. Improving agility increases your body’s ability to make quick movements and change direction suddenly. This helps those at risk to fall gracefully to avoid injury or prevent falls all together. Balance therapy could be the difference between a couple hundredths of a second that may be the difference between making strides towards an elite level.

Body awareness

Also known as proprioception, body awareness gives your nervous system a sense of how your body and limbs are oriented in space. With increased awareness, your body moves more seamlessly. Mobility, speed, and equilibrium are optimized greatly with balance training.

Each of these 5 benefits combine to create increased self-awareness, improved balance and overall decreased risk of falls. Taking steps to improve balance enhances overall health and plays an important role in performing activities at a high level.

We Can Help

At Spring Hill Physical Therapy & FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, fall prevention is the cornerstone of our mission; “Balance” is part of our name after all! We are offering FREE Fall Risk Assessments to identify individuals of all ages and conditions at risk of falling, AND we offer a virtual Balance and Fall Prevention class you can work into your weekly fitness routine.

Falls are preventable. If you or someone you know suffers from imbalance, keep in mind that early intervention is key. Falling is not an inevitable result of aging, and there are steps you can take to improve your balance and decrease chances of falling. By identifying risk, future injuries can be prevented. Our skilled physical therapists will create a program specifically tailored to your needs, so you can begin your quest to regain your footing, your confidence, and your freedom. Together we can Fight the Fall!