Falls happen backwards for a variety of reasons, including stiff, weak ankles as mentioned in the previous post. But another reason is that older legs are out of practice stepping backwards. Every day we walk forward, so if we start to fall in that direction, our body...

When we are standing and start to lean forward slightly, sensors in our ankles notice the small movement. They quickly correct the tilt by firing our calf muscle to pull us back into upright. The same happens on the front of our shin if we tip backwards. But the built...

Each time we step, we have to rapidly switch our weight from one side to the other while lifting the other foot. We have to do the same motion when we step onto a curb, but have to hold it a bit longer. It requires strength and balance to stand on one leg briefly, but...

Welcome to Part II of our series about improving your balance: Standing with the heel of one foot touching the great toe of the other foot, also called Tandem Stance I know outside of the Olympics no one walks on a balance beam. But most people do walk with their feet...