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Standing Sway Exercises to Improve Balance
Forward-to-back exercise: Do this exercise twice a day. Try to progress to doing this 30 times and then with your eyes closed.
- Stand with a chair in front of you and a wall behind you. If you begin to fall, you may use them for support.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your side.
- Gently sway (lean) forward and then backward so that your weight shifts to your toes and then to your heels. Do not lift your toes or heels. Be sure that your shoulders and hips move together. Do not bend at your hips.
- Slowly increase how far you can sway forward and backward without taking a step.
- Do the toe-to-heel sway 20 times.
Right-to-left exercise: Do this exercise twice a day. Try to progress to doing this 30 times and then with your eyes closed.
- Stand with a chair in front of you and a wall behind you. If you begin to fall, you may use them for support.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your side.
- Gently sway (lean) to the right and left so that your weight shifts from your right foot to your left foot. Do not lift your toes or heels. Be sure that your shoulders and hips move together. Do not bend at your hips.
- Slowly increase how far you can sway right and left without taking a step.
- Do the right-to-left sway 20 times.
Current as of: May 4, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Anne C. Poinier MD - Internal Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine
