Balance and Stability
Good balance and stability are an essential part of our daily life. It takes the coordination of our vision, inner ears, sense of touch, muscles, joints, and the central nervous system to control our body in 3D space to remain stable and upright. The four tests in Aspire Balance assess various aspects needed for good balance and stability.

Feet Together
Feet together position is a common assessment to establish a baseline for balance control. We should aim to score near the average of our age group or better. Many common factors such as medication, certain food and drinks, stress, and a poor night of sleep can impact our balance.

Tandem
The tandem stance is just like standing on a balance beam with one foot in front of the other, heels and toes touching. This position zooms in on our lateral stability by making the ankles, hips, core and leg muscles work harder to keep our body over the feet. Impaired lateral stability is a key fall risk factor among older adults. This stance is often used for concussion assessment for athletes.

Single Leg
Maintaining balance on one leg is a necessary foundation to support body motion. We perform a single leg stand with each step we take walking or running. A good single leg balance translates to better athletic performance and lowers risk of injuries. A healthy individual should be able to maintain this position for at least 20 seconds. Working to improve single leg balance has been shown to improve posture and reduce knee and hip pain.

Single Leg Side Raise
The Single Leg Side Raises position adds the additional challenge of shifting our body weight away from the center. This targets the key muscle groups that stabilize the hip and also the core muscles. Having good hip stability and a strong core can reduce hip, knee, and foot injuries especially with beginner runners. Individuals who spend a lot of time sitting may have trouble holding his pose.