Effortful posture cues, such as “stand up straight,” “engage your core,” or “pull yourself up to your full height,” may unintentionally hinder balance practice for older adults, according to investigators.
In a new physiotherapy study, researchers from the University of Idaho’s Mind and Movement lab compared the effects of the Alexander technique, an established movement practice, with other standard balance-coaching methods. The technique encourages “lightening up” into length rather than “pulling down,” reducing excess tension in the body. In the current study, participants were coached with effortful, light and relaxed posture instructions while standing on one leg.
Investigators recorded muscle use and queried participants about their training experience. They found that while participants worked much harder in the effortful postures, their balance was better when given light instructions.
“Our results suggest that common, effortful ways of thinking about posture can actually make our balance worse and increase the risk of falling,” said lead author Rajal Cohen, Ph.D. “Posture still seems to matter, but we could do ourselves and our clients a favor by lightening up about it.”
The study was published in the journal Innovation in Aging.
