Learning to balance

Balance training is a crucial component of fall prevention and training of standing balance on unstable surfaces is effective in reducing fall and injury risk. It is, however, unknown how psychological, neurophysiological and biomechanical factors determine this outcome. We hypothesize that modulation of balance control strategies to varying conditions is improved with training on unstable surfaces and that such modulation is counteracted by fear of falling. We will study short- and long-term training in young and older adults, to determine the psychological (fear of falling), neurophysiological (reflex gains, muscle synergies) and biomechanical (motor strategies) correlates of improved balance performance. In addition, we will study generalisation of training effects to other motor tasks.