01/02/2026
🧠Did you know your spine and nervous system don’t just keep you upright – they play a huge role in balance, body awareness and staying on your feet. When these systems are working well, your body can sense where you are in space and react quickly to prevent slips, trips and overload injuries.
Can you balance on one leg for 10 seconds? 🦵
It sounds simple, but this little test can tell us a lot about how well your body is coordinating movement, how sharp your body awareness is, and how effectively you can protect yourself from falls and strains.
Research in older adults shows that struggling with a 10‑second single‑leg stand is linked with higher rates of falls, fractures (including hip fractures) and a higher risk of health complications over time. When balance and body awareness are poor, they often go hand‑in‑hand with stiff joints, weaker muscles and slower reflexes – all things that increase fall and injury risk in day‑to‑day life.
Try this at home:
1. Stand near a kitchen bench or sturdy chair.
2. Lift one foot and see if you can balance for up to 10 seconds each side.
Are you gripping the floor with your toes, wobbling through your ankles or clenching your shoulders? That’s your body telling you where it needs support.
If you need to grab on or put your foot down early, that’s your cue to start working on balance, strength, mobility and body awareness – not a reason to panic!
As chiropractors, we look at how your spine, joints and nervous system are moving and communicating so your body can react quickly and efficiently in real‑world situations. Gentle, tailored care combined with simple balance and proprioception exercises can support better body awareness, reduce fall risk and help manage (and even prevent) many common aches, sprains and overload injuries.
If you’re worried about wobbly balance, recurring niggles, previous falls or a parent who’s starting to feel unsteady, we’re here to help.
Book in for an assessment today: https://the-barefoot-chiro.au4.cliniko.com/bookings?business_id=1635858139679040965
