SLB Challenge

September 10, 2017 –

Honestly, my wife said to me yesterday “the plank challenge is really good and I think people like it” …  and then today I was talking to a client who told me her balance was getting worse and worse.  She is in her late 60’s (I tell everybody she’s 100 just to make her smile and when she tells her real age and they are always impressed.)  Anyhow, after working with her for several years now I do know her strength and movement are functional.  To test her comment I asked her to stand and balance on one foot.  She could not do so for more than a few seconds on either foot.  Thus I started thinking… well how about a balance challenge.

This balance test is one that has been around for decades and I recall the government used to use it to assess candidates  for the military. Today it is often used in the geriatric population to assess static postural and balance control. The last time I went to a chiropractor for a check-up he too asked or a single-leg stance for a few seconds.  So the purpose of this challenge is to work on your own SLB Single Leg Balance!  Enjoy

Single-Leg Balance Challenge for Adults

In the Single Leg Balance Test, the score is the number of attempts needed to accumulate a total stable balance time of 30 seconds while standing on one foot with both eyes closed.

How it Works

While barefoot or wearing socks, closes both eyes and raises one foot off the ground, attempting to maintain balance. Two short practice attempts should be made. Then attempt to balance for 30 seconds. [A stopwatch is started as soon as stable balance is achieved. The watch is stopped if balance is lost as indicated by the raised foot touching the ground or by hopping. The watch is again started when stable balance is achieved on the next attempt. The number of attempts are counted until the accumulated time of stable balance reaches 30 seconds.] A perfect score equals 1, indicating that you need only one attempt to accumulate 30 seconds of stable balance.

Average Results

The table below shows the percentile scores by age-range and gender for the number of attempts needed to accumulate 30 seconds of stable balance. The normative data is from a Swedish national survey.

 

Percentile Values for Single-Leg Balance Test by Age-Range and Gender
Number of Attempts to Accumulate 30 Seconds of Stable Balance
Percentile	Age Range
MEN	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
80th	1	1	1	1	2
60th	1	1	2	4	6
40th	1	2	3	4	7
20th	4	6	5	7	11
WOMEN	20-29	30-39	40-49	50-59	60+
80th	1	1	1	2	3
60th	1	1	1	4	6
40th	2	2	3	7	9
20th	4	5	6	10	13

 

 

SO, how did you do?  Is there room for improvement?!  An imbalance in your hip might be the culprit.  If your thighs (quadriceps) are stronger than the glutes, that imbalance might make balancing very poor.  Let’s take a look at that on your next visit.

In good health,

Bob

The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you’ve lost it.  – Bob Geib