KŌMØ LIBRARY

BALANCE · NEUROMOTOR · 6 MIN

Balance is a sensory system before it is a posture.

Standing still is not truly static. The nervous system continuously estimates body position and adjusts muscular responses to keep us within a stable area.

Three things to know
01Postural control integrates visual, vestibular and proprioceptive information.
02Ageing can affect each sensory channel and the way the brain weights them.
03Balance is therefore a dynamic multisensory function rather than a single static pose.

Three major information sources

Vision provides information about the environment, the vestibular system about head motion and orientation, and proprioception about body and joint position.

The brain reweights information

Sensory inputs do not always have equal reliability. Darkness, an unstable surface or head movement can change which channel deserves the most weight.

Why gait complements standing balance

Walking deliberately moves the centre of mass over a changing base of support. It therefore tests balance in a more dynamic context.

Established evidenceFactual statements are grounded in the publications listed below.
KŌMØ perspectiveKŌMØ favours a multidimensional, longitudinal reading of mobility.
LimitsThis page is educational and does not replace medical assessment when a change is recent, marked or accompanied by other symptoms.
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