How Sideways Walking Improves Balance and Prevents Falls: A Simple Yet Effective Method
Essential Points:
Enhance Lateral Stability for Fall Prevention: Sideways walking strengthens underused muscles in the frontal plane, like the hip abductors and adductors, improving balance and reducing the risk of falls. It's an effective way to target often-neglected lateral stability.
Research-Backed Benefits: Studies show that sideways walking activates critical muscles, reduces gait variability, and may even rival traditional physical therapy for improving balance and stability, especially in older adults.
Simple Yet Adaptable Exercise: From basic side-steps along a counter to advanced resistance band drills, sideways walking is an accessible exercise that can easily fit into daily routines to boost balance and overall mobility.
Balance, it’s something most of us take for granted until we realize how crucial it is to our everyday lives. For aging adults, balance becomes an essential skill to maintain independence and prevent potentially life-changing falls. But did you know there’s an underutilized exercise that can significantly improve balance and reduce the risk of falling?
Enter sideways walking, a simplistic yet surprisingly effective balance intervention.
This article will explore the science and practical applications of sideways walking, uncovering why it works, how it benefits key muscle groups, and what the research says about its role in balance and fall prevention. By the end, you’ll understand how adding just a few minutes of sideways walking to your daily routine can make a big difference.
The Planes of Motion and Why They Matter
Body planes drawing. S = Sagittal, F = Frontal, T = Transverse
To fully appreciate the benefits of sideways walking, it helps to understand the three planes of motion:
Sagittal Plane: Think forward and backward movements like walking, running, or squatting.
Frontal Plane: Encompasses side-to-side movements such as sideways walking, lateral lunges, or side shuffles.
Transverse Plane: Involves rotational motions like twisting your torso or turning around.
Learn more about the planes of motion at study.com here.
Here’s the thing, most of our daily activities and even common exercises focus heavily on the sagittal plane. Whether we’re walking to the store, jogging, or doing traditional gym exercises like push-ups or deadlifts, we’re constantly moving forward or backward.
But what about the frontal plane and those critical side-to-side movements? They’re often neglected, even though they play a vital role in maintaining balance. Think about the last time you tripped or had to step sideways to recover from a misstep. That’s your frontal plane stability kicking in to save you from a potential fall.
Why the Frontal Plane Matters for Balance
Everyday Stability: Activities like stepping sideways to avoid an obstacle or bracing yourself against a sudden push rely on frontal plane movements.
Fall Recovery: Losing your balance often involves lateral instability. Training this plane can improve your ability to catch yourself in time or go into a sideways falling technique.
Undeveloped Strength: Because we move in the sagittal plane so often, the muscles that stabilize us laterally (side-to-side) are often underdeveloped, this is where sideways walking comes in.
By deliberately moving in the frontal plane, sideways walking targets neglected muscle groups, strengthens your stability, and enhances your overall ability to move confidently in any direction.
The Muscles of Sideways Walking
Sideways walking isn’t just about shuffling to the side, but rather it’s about activating specific muscle groups that often don’t get enough attention in your everyday movements. Let’s take a closer look at these key players:
1. Hip Abductors
Your hip abductors, particularly the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, are the stars of sideways walking. These muscles are located on the outside of the hip and function by:
Help lift your leg to the side, allowing lateral movement.
Stabilize your pelvis, preventing it from dropping when you lift one leg such as in single leg balance (a common issue in people with weak abductors).
Play a major role in maintaining lateral balance.
Weak hip abductors are a common issue in older adults, and the general population at large, and can lead to instability and an increased risk of falls. Sideways walking directly strengthens these muscles, improving your ability to stay upright during daily activities.
2. Hip Adductors
On the flip side are your hip adductors. These are on the inside of the thigh and groin, and they bring your legs back toward the midline of your body, providing control and stability during sideways movements. These muscles:
Help stabilize your stance leg while the other leg moves.
Aid in smooth weight-shifting, which is crucial for balance.
Strengthening both abductors and adductors creates a balance of power in the hips, ensuring better control and reducing the likelihood of falls.
3. Core Muscles
You can’t talk about balance without mentioning your core. While the movement in sideways walking primarily involves the hips and legs, your core muscles work behind the scenes to stabilize your trunk. These muscles:
Maintain your posture and alignment as you move laterally.
Help distribute weight evenly to prevent wobbling.
Give a solid base for your other musculature to pull from for improved muscular efficiency.
A strong core enhances your ability to make quick, controlled movements, which is essential for fall prevention.
Why These Muscles Matter for Fall Prevention
As we age, muscle imbalances and weaknesses become more pronounced, especially in underused areas like the hip abductors and adductors. Sideways walking addresses these imbalances head-on, strengthening the muscles that support stability and reducing the risk of falls.
If you want to dive deeper on the muscles of balance check out this article here.
Research Evidence Supporting Sideways Walking
Sideways walking may seem simple, but research shows it delivers powerful benefits, especially for improving balance and reducing fall risk. Let’s summarize the key findings:
Muscle Activation and Balance
Sideways walking uniquely targets underutilized muscles, such as the hip abductors, adductors, and stabilizing core muscles, enhancing joint stability and reducing the likelihood of falls. (1)
It builds strength and coordination to recover from lateral shifts in balance.
One pilot study even found it may be as effective as traditional physical therapy for improving balance, with no significant difference observed between groups after eight weeks.
Reduced Gait Variability
Gait variability, irregularities in step patterns, is a significant predictor of fall risk. Practicing controlled lateral movements during sideways walking improves rhythm and movement efficiency, leading to fewer missteps and safer, more stable gait patterns. (2)
Hip Abductor Strength
The hip abductors are critical for stabilizing the pelvis and enabling coordinated movements. Strengthening them enhances balance for individuals of all ages and across various tasks, from dynamic activities like walking to static challenges like single-leg stances. (3)
Research shows consistent benefits, regardless of age, making this a universal strategy for fall prevention.
Takeaway From the Research
Sideways walking is more than a muscle-strengthening exercise. It builds coordination, reduces fall risk, and improves balance across a range of daily tasks, all with minimal equipment or setup.
Practical Applications: Incorporating Sideways Walking into Training
Now that we’ve explored some of the science, let’s look at how you can incorporate sideways walking into your training routine. The best part? It’s simple, accessible, and adaptable to all fitness levels.
Basic Drills
Start with these beginner-friendly exercises:
Side-Stepping Along a Counter: Place your hand on a counter for support and step sideways in a controlled manner. Focus on engaging your hips and core, while maintaining a straight line sideways walk.
Resistance Band Side-Steps: Loop a resistance band around your legs and take small, controlled steps sideways. This adds extra challenge and targets your hip abductors.
For less challenge keep the band around your knees.
For increased challenge put the band around your ankles or feet.
Progressions
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, increase the challenge:
Add Weights: Hold a light dumbbell in each hand or wear a weighted vest while performing sideways steps.
Increase Step Length: Take wider steps to engage your muscles through a larger range of motion.
Walk on Uneven Surfaces: Try sideways walking on grass, sand, or a balance pad to mimic real-world conditions and boost stability.
Incorporate Forwards and Backwards movements: Integrating more dynamic movement through multiple planes can increase the challenge while also engaging more muscles.
Monster walks are an advanced version of banded sideways walking where you side-step while also traversing forwards or backwards. This allows a full hip stabilization workout in all planes.
Integrating Into Daily Life
Don’t have time for a full workout? Incorporate sideways walking into your daily routine:
Brush Your Teeth While Side-Stepping: Multitask by taking slow, controlled side steps as you brush.
Simply step side-to-side in front of your sink for the duration of your tooth brushing time.
Move Around the House Sideways: Turn a trip to the kitchen into a mini balance workout by walking sideways instead of straight ahead.
Pro Tip: Consistency is key. Even a few minutes of sideways walking each day can yield noticeable improvements in balance over time. You don’t have to do this all at once either! Take small sideways movement breaks whenever you think about it.
Case Study: Sue’s Travel Balance Journey
Sue, a long-time patient of mine, came to me with a challenge: she was heading out on a month-long adventure and wanted a simple way to improve her balance while on the road. Knowing she’d be staying in hotel rooms, I suggested a straightforward exercise, walking sideways for 10 minutes a day in her room. It was easy to fit into her routine and required no equipment. The perfect workout routine. When Sue returned, not only did she share stories of her travels, but she also proudly demonstrated a significant improvement in her balance. Her single-leg standing time increased by an impressive 20 seconds on her right leg, and 17 seconds on her left leg! Before traveling she could only stand on one leg for 5 seconds max.
This small daily commitment during her trip had a noticeable impact on her progress in physical therapy. This goes to show that improving balance doesn’t need to be fancy or hard, consistency is the key no matter how simple the exercise.
Additional Considerations for a Balanced Approach
While sideways walking is a fantastic tool for balance and fall prevention, it’s important to combine it with other movements and strategies for a well-rounded routine.
Combining Planes of Movement
To achieve optimal balance and stability, train across all three planes of motion:
Sagittal Plane: Add forward/backward exercises like walking, running, or squatting.
It is important to note that you are probably already doing sufficient amounts of this type of exercise already if you workout.
Transverse Plane: Incorporate rotational movements like torso twists, Russian twists, medball slams, or pivots.
This multi-plane approach ensures you’re strengthening your body in all the ways it needs to move in real life.
Specific Populations
Certain groups can benefit even more from sideways walking:
Older Adults: As we age, balance and hip strength naturally decline. Sideways walking directly combats these issues without the need for trained guidance.
Athletes Recovering from Injuries: Lateral movements help rebuild strength and stability in the hips and knees after injury. Performing sideways walking, when ready, can help prevent imbalances that may lead to increased re-injury risk.
Individuals with Neurological Conditions: Those with conditions like Parkinson’s disease or stroke-related balance issues may find sideways walking particularly beneficial for improving functional mobility. (4, 5)
Benefits Beyond Balance
Sideways walking isn’t just about staying on your feet. It also offers:
Improved Hip Mobility: Regular lateral movement keeps your hip joints healthy and flexible as they are allowed to move in a frequently underused manner.
Enhanced Coordination: Moving in new patterns challenges your brain and nervous system, improving overall coordination.
Stronger Lower Body: From your glutes to your calves, sideways walking builds strength in muscles that often go underused and can help fill in athletic gaps.
Final Thoughts: Step Into a More Balanced Life
Sideways walking might not be the first exercise that comes to mind when you think about improving your balance, but its benefits are starting to become more clear with new research. By focusing on underused muscles and neglected planes of motion, it offers a simple and effective way to reduce fall risk, improve stability, and boost functional mobility.
Whether you’re an older adult looking to maintain independence, an athlete recovering from injury, or simply someone who wants to move better, sideways walking is worth adding to your routine. Start small, stay consistent, and watch as your balance and confidence improve.
But don’t stop there! One of the biggest setbacks aging adults will face is deteriorating balance. And believe it or not, this process starts as early as in your 50s. Start combating this early and avoid the struggles that many over 65 years old face. Grab my SoF Beginner to Intermediate Balance Program and bulletproof your balance with a custom workout plan in just 10 minutes.
References
Dierick F, Bouché AF, Guérin S, et al. Quasi-experimental pilot study to improve mobility and balance in recurrently falling nursing home residents by voluntary non-targeted side-stepping exercise intervention. BMC Geriatrics. 2022;22(1). doi:10.1186/s12877-022-03696-y
Skiadopoulos A, Stergiou N. Risk‐of‐falling related outcomes improved in community‐dwelling older adults after a 6-week sideways walking intervention: a feasibility and pilot study. BMC Geriatrics. 2021;21(1). doi:10.1186/s12877-021-02010-6
Lanza MB, Arbuco B, Ryan AS, Shipper AG, Gray VL, Addison O. Systematic review of the importance of hip muscle strength, activation, and structure in balance and mobility tasks. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2022;103(8):1651-1662. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2021.12.008
Sethy D, Equebal A, Kujur ES, Mallick E. Effect of Backward Walking and Side Walking Training on Walking Speed and Endurance in Patients with Stroke. The Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2021;53(3):104-108. doi:10.4103/ijoth.ijoth_11_21
Bryant MS, Workman CD, Hou JG, Henson HK, York MK. Acute and Long‐Term Effects of Multidirectional Treadmill training on GAIT and balance in Parkinson Disease. PM&R. 2016;8(12):1151-1158. doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2016.05.001
