Balance Training and Neuroplasticity: How Training Your Stability Rewires Your Brain

Written By Brent Pritt

Essential Points:

  • Balance Training Reshapes Your Brain – Practicing balance challenges not just your muscles but also your brain, strengthening neural pathways and improving motor control, coordination, and reaction times through neuroplasticity.

  • Multi-System Integration Enhances Stability – Your balance relies on the vestibular, somatosensory, and visual systems working together. Training these systems improves sensory reweighting, helping you adapt to different environments and movements.

  • Lifelong Benefits for Brain and Body – Balance training isn’t just for athletes; it boosts cognitive function, slows aging-related decline, and reduces fall risk, keeping you sharper and more independent as you age.

Imagine you’re standing on one leg, trying to keep your balance. At first, you wobble, arms flailing as your body fights to stay upright. But over weeks of practice, something amazing happens, you get steadier. You don’t have to think as hard about it, and your body reacts faster to keep you from tipping over. What’s happening here isn’t just muscle memory, it’s neuroplasticity in action.

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to change, adapt, and rewire itself in response to new experiences and challenges. It’s the reason you can improve balance, coordination, and even cognitive function through training. But balance isn’t just a simple physical skill. It’s a full-body, multi-sensory process that involves input from your vestibular system (inner ear), somatosensory system (body awareness), visual system (your eyes), and the complex workings of your brain and nervous system.

This means balance training doesn’t just strengthen muscles, it actively reshapes neural pathways, reinforcing the brain’s ability to process movement, adjust posture, and react to changes in your environment. In this article, we’ll dive into how neuroplasticity works, the key brain areas involved in balance, and why training your stability is great for lifelong brain health.

What is Neuroplasticity?

brain with lightbulbs surrounding it

If you’ve ever heard the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” forget it, because science says otherwise. Your brain is not a fixed structure. In fact, it’s adaptable and constantly evolving based on how you use it. This ability to change and reorganize is known as neuroplasticity. (1)

Neuroplasticity happens in two main ways:

  • Structural plasticity: This is when the physical structure of your brain changes. For example, studies show that people who practice balance training can develop increased gray matter density in areas of the brain responsible for motor control and coordination. (2) Additionally, strength between pre-existing synaptic connections also increases, effectively increasing the ease of use in these pathways. (3)

  • Functional plasticity: This refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself and create new pathways. If one pathway is damaged (like after an injury or stroke), the brain can find alternative routes to perform the same or similar function that allows the intended goal to be completed, a process called cortical remapping. (4 , 5, 6)

Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan

Neuroplasticity isn’t just for kids or young adults, though children do experience rapid brain development, adults and even seniors can benefit from it. (7) In fact, engaging in activities that challenge balance and coordination has been shown to slow cognitive decline, improve reaction time, and enhance movement control well into old age. (8, 9, 10) This is why balance training is crucial, not just for athletes, but for anyone who wants to stay sharp and mobile as they get older.

The Neural Systems Involved in Balance

three images depicting the three balance systems of the body: vestibular system, somatosensory system, visual system

Balance isn’t just about your feet knowing where they are, it’s a full-body, multi-system process that requires different parts of your nervous system working together seamlessly. When you train your balance, you’re training your nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and sensory organs to work in sync. Let’s break it down:

Balance Systems: How Your Body Knows Where It Is

  1. Vestibular System (Inner Ear Function)

    • This is your body’s internal gyroscope, located in the inner ear. It detects head position, movement, and spatial orientation, helping you maintain equilibrium. If you’ve ever felt dizzy after spinning around, that’s your vestibular system recalibrating.

  2. Somatosensory System (Body Awareness)

    • Think of this as your built-in GPS for movement along with the ability to feel the world. Specialized receptors in your muscles, tendons, and joints send constant feedback to your brain about limb position, tension, and movement. At the same time, additional sensory receptors in your feet send feedback on what the ground feels like. When you stand on one leg, your proprioceptors and touch receptors help fine-tune micro-adjustments to keep you stable.

  3. Visual System (Seeing Your Stability)

    • Your eyes provide crucial information about your surroundings, horizon line, and spatial position. When vision is compromised (like in a dark room), your body relies more on the vestibular and somatosensory systems to maintain balance. This is why balance training in different environments, like closing your eyes or standing on uneven surfaces, enhances balance adaptability in varying scenarios.

Motor Systems: The Brain’s Command Center for Movement

  1. Cerebellum (Coordination & Error Correction)

    • Often called the “little brain,” the cerebellum is responsible for fine-tuning movements, correcting posture, and ensuring smooth coordination. (11, 12) It constantly updates motor commands based on sensory input, which is why balance training strengthens its efficiency over time.

  2. Motor Cortex (Conscious Movement Control)

    • Located in the frontal lobe, the motor cortex sends signals to your muscles, directing voluntary movement. (11, 13) When you intentionally shift your weight or hold a new balance pose, this area is actively engaged, reinforcing neuroplastic changes.

  3. Basal Ganglia (Automatic Movements & Habit Formation)

    • The basal ganglia help automate movements, making balance second nature over time. (11, 14) This is why practice is so important. Repetition leads to smoother, more efficient motor patterns, reducing conscious effort in maintaining balance.

How Balance Training Induces Neuroplasticity

brain showing neural connections

Your brain thrives on challenge, and quite literally grows and adapts when pushed to it’s limits. (15, 16, 17, 18) When you engage in balance training, you're not just strengthening muscles, bur rather you’re reinforcing the neural circuits responsible for postural control and movement coordination. This happens through several key mechanisms of neuroplasticity.

Strengthening Synaptic Connections

Every time you challenge your balance, whether by standing on one leg or navigating an unstable surface, your brain strengthens the connections between neurons involved in stability and movement. (8, 16, 17) Repetition reinforces these pathways, making balance skills more automatic and improving reaction times. You quite literally improve the wiring in your brain for certain activities.

Sensory Reweighting & Cortical Reorganization

Balance is an interplay of multiple sensory systems, including vision, somatosensory, and the vestibular systems. Training forces the brain to adjust how it prioritizes sensory input, a process called sensory reweighting. (19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23) For example:

  • If your vision is removed (e.g., balancing with eyes closed), the brain learns to rely more on somatosensory and the vestibular inputs.

  • Training on unstable surfaces leads to decreased reliance on somatosensory information, and increases reliance on the vestibular and visual systems. Over time, these shifts lead to cortical reorganization, where brain areas responsible for balance become more efficient and responsive.

Changes in Brain Structure

Neuroscientific research has shown that balance training can literally reshape your brain (8, 16, 17):

  • Increased Gray Matter Volume: Studies indicate that individuals who engage in balance training show greater gray matter density in motor and sensory cortices, areas responsible for movement control and sensory integration.

  • Enhanced White Matter Integrity: Improved white matter connections facilitate faster communication between different brain regions, helping refine motor skills and coordination.

Balance Training and the Aging Brain

image of older persons brain and neural connections

As we age, the neuroplasticity process slows, and declines in balance and coordination can increase the risk of falls. However, balance training offers a powerful tool for keeping the brain adaptable and reducing fall risk. (8, 24, 25)

Neurodegeneration & Fall Risk

Aging affects multiple systems involved in balance:

  • Vestibular system decline: The inner ear’s sensitivity decreases, impairing spatial awareness (the understanding of where a person’s head is in space). (26)

  • Proprioceptive loss: The nervous system’s ability to sense joint position and movement weakens over time. (27, 28)

  • Cognitive slowing: Decision-making and reaction times decline, making balance corrections less effective. These changes contribute to instability and an increased risk of falls, which are a leading cause of injury among older adults. (29)

How Balance Training Slows Cognitive Decline

Research suggests that balance exercises don’t just improve physical stability, they also enhance cognitive function:

  • Working memory and executive function: Studies show that balance training can improve mental processes like problem-solving, attention, and multitasking. (30, 31)

  • Dual-task training: Performing balance exercises while engaging in cognitive tasks (e.g., counting backward, following verbal commands) strengthens neural networks, promoting cognitive resilience and reducing fall risk. (32, 33, 34)

By incorporating balance training, older adults can maintain sharper mental function and greater physical independence. If you want to learn a bit more about balance and cognition be sure to check out this article: How Balance and Fall Risk Impact Cognitive Health

Practical Applications: How to Train for Maximum Neuroplastic Adaptation

women performing yoga balance pose

To maximize neuroplasticity through balance training, it’s essential to apply key principles that keep the brain adapting and improving.

Principles of Neuroplasticity-Based Balance Training (35):

  • Novelty & Variability: Exposing the brain to changing stimuli and challenges prevents plateauing and encourages continuous adaptation.

  • Progressive Challenge: Gradually increasing difficulty ensures ongoing cortical remodeling and skill acquisition. You can still gain benefit by performing the same task if you constantly make the task harder.

  • Dual-Tasking & Cognitive Load: Combining balance exercises with mental tasks engages multiple neural circuits at once, increasing challenge, and ultimately enhancing neuroplasticity.

Example Drills:

  • Dynamic Balance: Try standing on one leg with your eyes closed, performing Bosu ball drills, or navigating obstacle courses. Be sure to do so with supervision to reduce your risk of injury.

  • Sensory Reweighting: Train in low-light conditions, on foam surfaces, or with eyes closed to force your brain to adapt to different sensory inputs.

  • Dual-Task Training: Challenge yourself by balancing while reciting the ABCs backward, following complex movement patterns, or playing reaction-based games like catching a tennis ball.

By incorporating these principles and drills into your routine, you can drive powerful neuroplastic changes that improve both physical and cognitive function.

Final Thoughts: Challenge Your Balance, Challenge Your Brain

two brains being weighed on a scale

Your brain is capable of remarkable change, and balance training is one direct way to harness neuroplasticity for better movement, cognition, and resilience through your lifespan. A lifelong commitment to balance training can slow cognitive decline, aid rehabilitation, prevent falls, and improve your quality of life.

Whether you’re an aging adult looking to maintain independence, or someone who is just trying to stay ahead of the aging curve, balance training is a powerful tool that can quite literally change your brain. Start incorporating these principles today and experience the benefits for yourself!

If you are looking to boost your brain power through balance, be sure to pick up my SoF Beginner to Intermediate Balance Program. It’s your one-stop-shop for a customizable balance program that will get you balancing better than everyone you know!

References

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Brent Pritt https://scienceoffalling.com
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