Falls are the injury many people past 60 never see coming, and much of the risk responds to training. Balance work looks almost too simple. Behind it sits some of the strongest evidence on this site.
A Cochrane review pooled 108 randomised trials covering 23,407 community-dwelling adults. Exercise cut the rate of falls by 23% (rate ratio 0.77, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.83), a finding the reviewers rated high-certainty. Programmes built on balance and functional exercises, meaning practice of real movements such as rising from a chair, cut fall rates by 24% and carried the most reliable results. Adding strength work helped further in smaller analyses. International falls-prevention guidelines reached the same conclusion and name balance plus strength training as core treatment for anyone at risk of falling.
Doing it: Challenge your balance two or three times a week in ways that feel mildly wobbly but safe: heel-to-toe walking, standing on one leg near a counter, slow sit-to-stands. Make it harder as it gets easier, and rely on your hands less. Structured classes work as well as home practice if you want instruction or company.
Who it suits: Adults over 60, and anyone who has already fallen once. If falls are frequent or standing feels unsteady, ask your GP for a physiotherapy assessment before training alone.
Sources
- Sherrington et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019; exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community (PMID 30703272)
- Montero-Odasso et al., Age and Ageing 2022; World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults (PMID 36178003)
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