Balancing on one leg seems like a simple enough task, right? Well, here's something that could raise the stakes: it turns out that any wobbling or near-falls could indicate your body is ageing faster than you thought.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, in the US, have found that how long you can balance on one leg could indicate the speed at which your neuromuscular sensory system is ageing, especially for the elderly.
This system is a collection of nerves connecting our muscles to the brain and spinal cord, allowing our muscles to move when needed. A decline in this system goes hand-in-hand with ageing, and can lead to slower movements and responses.
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"Balancing on one leg requires multiple components of physiological function that each typically declines with age, including strength in the leg and postural stabilising muscles, neuromuscular coordination, and intact sensory information and reflexes," Prof David Proctor, ageing and exercise expert at Pennsylvania State University in the US who was not involved in the study, told BBC Science Focus.
"Attempts to prevent or slow the loss of muscle strength and balance in older age could mean the difference between remaining functionally independent and early admission to a nursing home!"
The study, published in PLOS, assessed the ability of 40 participants aged 50 to 80 to balance on one leg. All participants had similar heights, weights and regular activity levels – the only difference between them was their age.
Each person was asked to balance for 30 seconds four times: two attempts per leg, first with their eyes closed then again with them open. To see how age affected balance, the team kept track of how many seconds each person actually managed to balance during the 30-second window.
The team found that, for every additional 10 years of age, swaying increased by 6.3 per cent if their eyes were open and 10.5 per cent if their eyes were closed. The study also found that how long they could balance for declined by 2.2 seconds per decade on their non-dominant leg and 1.7 seconds on their dominant leg.
This suggests the length of time a person can balance for is a valid measure of ageing, and for the elderly, the risk of a fall.
Balancing for 30 seconds doesn’t take too much muscle strength, but requires adequate neuromuscular control. As age increases, however, both these decline, causing more swaying and shorter balancing time.
So what can you do about it? Studies have shown that balance exercises and aerobic activity like swimming, running or cycling, can prevent this age-related decline.
About our expert
Dr David Proctor is a professor kinesiology, physiology and medicine at Penn State University in the US. His research has been published in the journals Frontiers in Nutrition, Vascular Medicine, and the Journal of Applied Physiology.
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