Exercise for improving balance in older people

Tracey E. Howe, Lynn Rochester, Fiona Neil, Dawn Skelton, Claire Ballinger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

344 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Good balance and mobility are essential to the successful performance of most activities of daily living as well as a number of recreational pursuits. Balance is the ability to stay upright and steady when stationary and during movement. Using more technical terms, balance is defined as the ability to maintain the projection of the body's centre of mass (CoM) within manageable limits of the base of support, as in standing or sitting, or in transit to a new base of support, as in walking (Winter 1995). The base of support is composed of the area between all points of contact of the body with another surface; points of contact also include extensions of the body through assistive devices (e.g. walking sticks and frames). Balance is an integral component of daily (functional) activities, however, balance control is complex and multifactorial.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberCD004963
JournalCochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Volume11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011

Keywords

  • balance
  • older people
  • exercise
  • gait
  • mobility

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