As people grow older, staying steady on their feet becomes one of the biggest challenges for keeping an active and independent life.
Good balance allows people to walk safely, climb stairs, carry shopping, and avoid falls. Losing balance can make everyday activities harder and increase the chance of injury, hospital stays, and loss of independence.
Scientists have long known that strong muscles help support balance. However, they have not been sure which parts of the body are most important.
A new study from Miguel Hernández University of Elche and ISABIAL suggests that the muscles and control of the trunk, sometimes called the body’s core, may be even more important for balance than hip strength in healthy older adults.
The trunk includes the muscles around the stomach, lower back, and pelvis. These muscles help keep the body upright while sitting, standing, reaching, and walking. They also allow the upper and lower body to work together smoothly during movement.
To better understand healthy ageing, the researchers studied 127 physically active adults between 30 and 80 years of age. The volunteers completed several tests that measured trunk stability, balance, hip strength, and how easily they could move during everyday tasks.
One test asked participants to sit on an unstable surface while special equipment measured how well they controlled their posture. Another measured balance while standing heel to toe. The researchers also measured hip strength and used a walking test that reflected common daily movements.
The results showed that every physical ability became weaker with age. However, trunk stability declined faster than overall balance, hip strength, or mobility, especially in men. This suggests that ageing may affect the body’s ability to control the core earlier or more strongly than many people realise.
When the scientists compared the different measurements, they found that better trunk stability was closely linked with better whole-body balance. Hip strength, on the other hand, was more strongly connected with mobility, such as standing up and walking quickly.
These findings suggest that balance and mobility are supported by different physical abilities. Strong hips remain important for moving around, but good trunk control appears to play a bigger role in helping people stay steady and avoid losing balance.
The researchers believe these results could improve exercise programs for older adults. Walking and general physical activity remain valuable, but they may not fully protect the body from age-related changes in posture and balance. Exercises that safely challenge balance and improve core control may offer extra benefits.
The team also stressed that exercises involving unstable surfaces or difficult balance tasks should always be supervised by trained professionals and matched to each person’s ability. Safety is especially important for older adults who already have balance problems or a history of falls.
The findings also suggest that people should not wait until they are elderly before looking after their balance. Building good trunk strength and body control during middle age may help delay future decline and support independence for longer.
This study cannot prove that improving trunk stability alone will prevent falls because it only looked at relationships between different physical abilities. Future studies will need to test whether special training programs can directly reduce falls and improve long-term health. Even so, the research provides strong evidence that the body’s core deserves much more attention in healthy ageing programs.
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Source: Miguel Hernández University of Elche.
