ABSTRACT
Good balance is an imperative skill for daily life. It requires the complex integration of sensory information regarding the position of the body relative to the surroundings and the ability to generate appropriate motor responses to control body movement. Vision, vestibular sense, proprioception, muscular strength and neuromuscular coordination are involved in balance control, in addition to central processes, such as visual-spatial processing and attention. With increased age, there is a progressive loss of function of these systems, which can contribute to balance deficits. This chapter examines the physiological systems associated with balance and discusses typical age-related changes in each of these and the impact of these on stability. Functionally, balance disorders affect activities of standing, leaning, stepping, walking, external perturbation responses and general mobility. There is good evidence that appropriate exercise can reverse age-related changes to improve balance and reduce falls in older people.
