Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention - Ask Doctor Jo

These balance exercises for fall prevention have a lot to do with the strength of your hips and ankles. When they are weak and not flexible, we are at a higher risk of falling. See Doctor Jo’s blog post about this at: http://www.askdoctorjo.com/balance-exercises-fall-prevention

These stretches and exercises should help with balance and fall prevention.

The first stretch is a calf stretch. You can check out the calf stretching video for several other ways to stretch. You want to lean against a wall or something sturdy. Place the foot you want to stretch behind you. Make sure to keep your heel down and your toes forward pointing towards the wall. With the other foot in front of you, like you are in a lunge position, bend your knee towards the wall until you feel a stretch through your back leg. Try to keep your back leg as straight as possible. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, and do it three times.

Next you will balance on one foot. Try to look at something straight in front of you, and try not to look down at your feet. Start off with 10-15 seconds, and do it three times on each leg. The next standing balance exercise is tandem stance. This is with one foot directly in front of the other like you are standing on a tight rope. If that is easy, move your head from side to side, and up and down. If you feel really good, try closing your eyes. Make sure to switch your feet.

Finally, you will do heel raises. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, come up on your toes as high as you can. Try not to lean forward, but bring your body straight up and slowly come back down. Push off as much as you can so your heel leaves the ground. Start off with ten and work your way up to 20-25. If that becomes easy, you can do one leg at a time.

Related Videos:

Improve Your Balance with Simple Exercises:
https://youtu.be/Nc62Ju2kUAc?list=PLPS8D21t0eO_aKBiXrRDEvPM3hRzXUJQd

Balance & Coordination Exercises:
https://youtu.be/HNbjptrn3-A?list=PLPS8D21t0eO_aKBiXrRDEvPM3hRzXUJQd

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Balance Exercises for Fall Prevention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJyropf3Jgs

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