Video and Transcript: Exercises to Improve Your Dynamic Balance

Hi guys! Dr. Orit Hickman here from Pain Science Physical Therapy. And, if you've got a chance to see my last video, I did a second video that was just standing on a balance pad and practicing some balance activities just on that foam pad. The reality is that most of us do not live just like this. We move all day long, so it's important that we don't just do balance activities that just keep us attached to a foam pad. We want to do activities that also challenge us as we do movement. 

So, the first exercise -- or the first balance exercise that I'm going to show you is an exercise where you walk heel-to-toe. So, this is called tandem gait or tandem walking, and it's almost like you're trying to walk as if you're on a balance beam. So, heel-to-toe walking. 

Now, if this is too much of a challenge and it just is too hard to do that, what you can do is bring one foot as close to the other foot as possible. So, I don't know if you saw this, but the first one I had feet directly in front of each other. But, the modification would be to bring the foot maybe just a little bit closer. So, you're really walking with a little bit of a narrower base of support, but maybe you are not yet able to get that foot in front. 

Once that feels a little easier, what you could do is walk where you have a little bit of a wider tandem stance. So, you're not walking heel-to-toe. You're walking heel-to-toe, but feet are a little bit further apart. That can be a little bit easier as well, so that you don't have to -- it's a transition. Right? So that you work up to the original activity, which is just heel-to-toe walking.

I'm going to show you one more. I'm going to come out of screen really quick, and I've got some some 6-inch cones here. And, for those of you who are patients of mine, you're probably shuttering right now when you see the cones. But, you don't have to use cones. At home, you can use anything that is a small object that doesn't roll or move. 

But, what we're going to do now is we're just going to put the cones down. We’re going to space them about a foot or two apart, and the activity that I'm going to do is just stepping up and over the cones. So, the idea here is to do this slow and controlled because we can do anything fast, if we want. Right? But, that doesn't mean that you're doing it in a manner that is helping build balance and stability. So, the idea here is to put one foot in front and then the other foot. So, you're trying to step up and over each cone.

Now, if that is too much of a challenge and it's too hard to start with that, what you can do is you can step one at a time. So, you can step up over the cones and then you can switch feet. So, I'm starting with my left foot, stepping up and over, and then my right foot, stepping up and over. Left foot, and then turning around, right foot. 

And, if you think about it, this is a really, really functional exercise. You -- first of all, of course, you're working on balance. But, if you're getting in and out of a bathtub, you have to be able to step up and over the rim of the bathtub. If you have to step up onto a curb you, you have to step up onto the curb. There are lots of objects that we have to maneuver around in our daily lives that require us to do this movement. So, if it's cones, great. If it's other small objects in your house, those are fantastic too. So, anything like that will help you get you a little bit more moving and working on balance while you're moving. 

The last exercise that I really like is weaving in and out of objects. We do this all the time. If you're at home and you're in a familiar environment, sometimes it's a little easier to navigate. When you're in the stores or you're out in the community, it's a little bit harder. You go into an unfamiliar surroundings. It gets a little bit harder. So, practicing this at home can be really great. 

So, we're just talking about weaving in and out of cones. We want to keep this -- the steps pretty small, pretty tight, and you try to do it quickly. So, as you get better at this, you go faster. And that's the case with any of the movements that I've given you today is that the goal over time is, as you get more stable, to get faster at doing them and to practice them. 

I would say for something like this activity, if you have a hallway or you have a long stretch of space in your house, to maybe do -- you know -- anywhere from one to two laps for each of those activities. And, of course, practice doing them several times a week. Let me know how it goes. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or thoughts definitely post below. And give me a thumbs up if you like this video. Thanks! Have a great day!