Better Balance Starts With The Right Exercises
Balance is something I work on with many of my physical therapy patients. Whether you want to feel steadier on your feet, return to your favorite activities or reduce your risk of falling, choosing the right exercises matters.
Balance isn’t just one skill. Standing still without wobbling is different from catching yourself when you trip or step around an obstacle.
A 2026 study published in Ageing Research Reviews examined which types of exercise best improve balance in adults over 60. Researchers reviewed 423 clinical trials involving nearly 34,000 participants. They found that most exercise types improved balance, but some appeared more effective for specific skills.
What types of exercise help balance?
Perturbation training: Safely practicing how to recover when you lose your balance, such as responding to a gentle push.
Sensory training: Challenging the balance signals your brain receives from your eyes, inner ears and feet. This might involve standing on different surfaces or changing what you can see.
Tai Chi: Using slow, controlled movements and weight shifts to improve body control.
Pilates: Practicing controlled movements, core strength and coordination to help you stay steady while moving.
Agility and stepping exercises: Practicing quick steps, changing directions and stepping over obstacles to prepare for everyday challenges.
Dance: Combining rhythm, stepping and changes in direction to challenge balance in an enjoyable way.
Aquatic exercise: Moving in water to practice balance and movement with less impact on your joints.
Strength training: Strengthening your legs and hips with exercises like sit-to-stands and step-ups to help with everyday movements.
Which exercises work best?
The study found that different exercises showed promising results for different balance skills. Perturbation training, sensory training, dance and agility stepping ranked highly for overall balance. Pilates showed strong results for balance while moving, while agility stepping helped with preparing for movements and obstacles.
These rankings are estimates, and no single exercise is best for everyone.
How can physical therapy help?
This is where working with a Physical Therapist can make a difference. I look at your goals and identify which balance skills need the most attention.
For one person, that might mean strengthening the legs to make getting out of a chair easier. For someone else, it might mean practicing quick steps or recovering from a stumble.
The goal is to help you feel more confident doing the things you want and need to do every day.
You don’t have to wait until you’ve had a fall to start working on your balance. Physical therapy can help you find the right exercises for your needs.
Lauren DeYoe
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Reiki Master
Owner Reiki PT
Junyu Wang, Shenghui Guo, Yong Yang, Yixin Liang, Chaoyu Guo, Yuge Cheng, Yiqi Li, Bopeng Qiu, Shaoxing Ma, Peijie Chen, Jie Zhuang. Exercise modalities for overall and domain-specific balance performance in older adults: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis, Ageing Research Reviews, Volume 121, 2026, 103303, ISSN 1568-1637.
