Dominic Stone
Balance is a key aspect of fitness and impacts our ability to perform everyday tasks. Balance training is important to maintain or improve stability and can be particularly beneficial for older adults who are at an increased risk of falls and injuries. To improve balance, it is important to focus on strengthening the muscles that help keep us upright, including the legs and core. The muscles in the lower body—the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and adductors (inner thigh muscles)—are some of the largest muscle groups and play a critical role in balance.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Core strength | Important for overall health and well-being, improving balance and stability |
| Lower-body strength | Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calf muscles, and adductors (inner thigh muscles) are important muscle groups for balance |
| Focus | Looking forward, not down, and focusing on a point outside the body can improve balance |
| Practice | Incorporating instability into exercises can improve balance |
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Core strength
A weak core can cause balance issues and a risk of falling. By strengthening the core, you can improve balance and stability, and prevent injuries. Core exercises should focus on both the inner and outer core muscles. The inner core muscles are attached to the spine and provide stabilisation. The outer core muscles work with the inner core to move the body and perform physical activities.
To improve core strength, there are a variety of exercises that can be done. One simple exercise is the "drawing-in manoeuvre", which involves standing up straight and finding the correct pelvic position by rotating the hips forward and back. Then, draw the belly button towards the spine without holding your breath. You should be able to breathe, talk, and walk while doing this exercise. As you build up your core strength, you can increase the duration of this exercise and move on to more challenging exercises.
Core exercises to improve balance should be functional and multiplanar, involving both single- and double-leg movements. For example, one exercise involves standing on one leg with a band placed above the knee, then tapping the alternate foot forward, to the side, and behind. This exercise can be made more challenging by performing it on an unstable surface, such as a foam pad, or by holding weights.
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Lower body strength
Balance is an important aspect of fitness that impacts our ability to perform everyday tasks. Lower body strength is a key component of balance. The muscles in our legs, hips, and core are essential for maintaining stability when we stand, walk, or shift positions. These muscle groups control posture, help us move, and provide the necessary force to correct any imbalance.
The muscles in the lower body—the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles—are some of our largest muscle groups. Your adductors (inner thigh muscles) are also important for balance because they keep the hips in alignment. As we age, it becomes harder to maintain muscle mass, which can lead to balance issues. By including exercises to strengthen the muscles in the lower body, we can improve our balance.
To improve balance, you should focus on four key areas: increasing core strength, strengthening the muscles of the lower body, shifting your focus, and putting it into practice. Core strength is imperative to our overall health and well-being, and when we think of our core, we often think of our abdominal muscles. While these are part of the core, it also includes the muscles between your shoulders and hips—the trunk of your body. It provides support for your bones and keeps your musculoskeletal system working properly. To strengthen your core, you should focus on your abdominal muscles, including the obliques; the muscles in the back, including the spinal erectors; and the muscles of the pelvic floor.
There are many exercises that can help improve your lower body strength and balance. For example, you can try standing with your feet hip-width apart and pressing your weight firmly and evenly into both feet. Then, yield your weight onto your left foot and lift your right foot. Hold for up to 30 seconds, slowly lower your left foot to the floor, and repeat on the other side. Do each side five to ten times. You can also try standing on your left leg and stretching your right leg forward, maintaining good posture by keeping your spine, neck, and head in one line.
In addition to specific exercises, focusing your attention is also important for improving balance. Research indicates that by focusing on a point outside the body (external focus), we can improve our balance, not just when standing on a stable surface, but also when we are moving and when the task becomes more difficult.
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Stability
To improve stability, it is important to focus on strengthening the muscles that help keep the body upright, including the legs and core. The core muscles, including the abdominal muscles, back muscles, and pelvic floor muscles, provide support for the bones and keep the musculoskeletal system working properly. A strong core contributes to better posture and stability. Planks are a fundamental exercise for building core strength and stability.
The muscles in the lower body, such as the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles, are some of the largest muscle groups in the body. These muscles work together to control movements and shifts in body weight. Strong quadriceps help align the body's centre of gravity over the base of support, improving balance and reducing the risk of falls. The hamstrings also play a critical role in balance by stabilising the knee joint and ensuring joint alignment and stability.
Specific exercises such as squats, calf raises, and hamstring curls can be incorporated into a workout routine to strengthen these lower body muscles and improve stability. Additionally, incorporating instability into exercises can further challenge the large muscle groups and enhance stability. For example, standing on one leg or performing exercises with closed eyes can improve stability and balance.
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Adductors (inner thigh muscles)
The adductor muscles of the hip are a group of muscles in the medial compartment of the thigh. They are primarily used for bringing the thighs together, a movement known as adduction. These muscles are important for balance because they keep the hips in alignment.
There are four primary muscles in this group: adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, and gracilis. The adductor magnus is the largest muscle in the medial compartment. It lies posteriorly to the other muscles and is the most commonly injured. The adductor longus is a large, flat muscle that partially covers the adductor brevis and magnus. It forms the medial border of the femoral triangle and provides some medial rotation. The adductor brevis is a short muscle that lies underneath the adductor longus. The gracilis is the most superficial and medial of the hip adductors. It crosses both the hip and knee joints, adducting the thigh at the hip and flexing the leg at the knee.
In addition to these four primary muscles, the pectineus muscle assists in the movement of bringing the thighs together and plays a role in hip flexion. The obturator externus, gemelli (superior and inferior), and quadratus femoris may also be considered part of this muscle group by some authorities.
Adductor tenotomy (cutting the origin tendons of the adductor muscles) and obturator neurectomy (cutting the anterior branch of the obturator nerve) are surgical procedures sometimes performed on children with cerebral palsy. These children often have hypertonia of the adductor muscles, which can make abduction difficult, obstruct normal hip development, and put them at risk of hip dislocation.
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Quadriceps
The quadriceps femoris is a powerful hip flexor and knee extensor, consisting of four muscles: the rectus femoris and three vastus muscles. These muscles form the bulk of the thigh and are essential for daily activities such as climbing stairs, getting up from a chair, walking, and squatting. The quadriceps also play a crucial role in more dynamic movements like kicking, jumping, cycling, and running.
The quadriceps are key stabilizers of the patella (kneecap). They originate from the ilium, above the acetabulum, and run down the leg, attaching to the patella via the quadriceps tendon. The rectus femoris, in particular, can activate its fibres in a longitudinal mode, allowing independent movement. This muscle can also flex the hip, while the vastus medialis adducts the thigh, externally rotates it, and stabilizes the kneecap.
The myoelectric balance of the quadriceps is vital for correct patella movement and maintaining adequate posture. The proprioceptive afferents of the quadriceps contribute to postural balance, and their activation improves coordination. This balance is crucial for injury prevention and optimal performance.
Maintaining the balance of flexibility and strength between the quadriceps and hamstrings is essential. An imbalance can lead to knee injuries, hamstring strains, gait imbalances, and other lower extremity issues. Research indicates that this muscle imbalance increases the incidence of injury by 4.66 times. Therefore, it is important to perform exercises that correct this imbalance, such as myofascial release exercises and gluteal and hamstring strengthening routines.
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Frequently asked questions
The muscles that control balance include the core muscles, lower back, and legs. Specifically, the abdominal muscles, spinal erectors, pelvic floor, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and adductors (inner thigh muscles).
The quads work with the glutes and hamstrings to control movements and shifts in body weight. The hamstrings also play a critical role in stabilising the knee joint during movements like bending or straightening the knee.
Yes, balance exercises can include simple moves like standing on one leg or more challenging yoga poses. Specific exercises for key muscle groups include squats, calf raises, and hamstring curls.
You can do balance exercises as often as you like, even every day. It is recommended to include two days a week of strength training to improve balance by working the muscles that aid stability.
