07/20/2026
HOME BALANCE TEST - Assess your fall risk.
When I speak publicly, I want to make sure people understand falls happen quickly, without much, if any warning. You never wake up in the morning and think, "todays the day I'm going to have that bad fall". Each year I am called by at least 10 clients that have recently had a serious fall. Be proactive. During my home fall prevention assesments I share ideas and methods to greatly reduce falls in and around your home and yard, particularly on stairways. Falls not only on a whole flight of steps, sometimes on just 1 step.
I'm posting this again because it is so important. I recently lost another client from a stair fall. Two railings are always recomended on all home stairways. One just isn't enough...
These at-home tests can gauge your balancing skills and assess your fall risk
Balance is something you take for granted until it fails you. If stumbles have become more frequent, even if you've escaped with only a jolt of adrenaline or a minor knee scrape, they could BE A WAKE UP CALL that your balancing skills need attention.
"As you age, balance becomes even more essential, and you should approach it like any other part of your fitness," says Kaitlyn Buckwell, a strength and conditioning specialist with the Center for Sports Performance and Research at Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham. "Strong balancing skills not only can protect you from falling, but they can also reduce the likelihood of a severe injury if you do."
Four-stage balance test
How can you tell if your balance is unbalanced? Take the four-stage balance test, a simple baseline assessment used by physical and occupational therapists to evaluate balance and an individual's risk of falling.
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Everyday Balance Exercise
Balance is an often-underappreciated skill. We are reminded of its importance as we watch toddlers learn to walk, when learning a new activity, or as we get older and balance can become, well, unbalanced. Balance is important to almost everything we do, from standing on a step stool to reach a high shelf to hiking on uneven terrain. Like other attributes, you need to “use it or lose it.”
The test measures how long you can stand in a series of positions. Each stance is harder than the one before.
"The goal is to maintain balance for at least 10 seconds without needing support before advancing to the next stance," says Buckwell.
Perform the tests barefoot, keeping your arms at your sides or extended out, and your gaze straight ahead. "Do them near a wall, chair, or another person in case you do lose your balance," says Buckwell.
Side-by-side. Stand on a flat surface with your feet positioned next to each other so they touch. Hold the position without moving your feet.
Semi-tandem. Place the instep of the arch of one foot so it's next to and touching the big toe of the other foot. Hold the position without moving your feet. Switch foot positions and repeat.
Tandem. Place one foot in front of the other, so the heel and toes touch. Hold the position without moving your feet. Switch foot positions and repeat.
Single-leg. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, hands on your hips. Lift one foot off the floor to about mid-calf height. Hold this position for 10 seconds, or until the raised foot touches the ground or you lose your balance. Switch foot positions and repeat.
What do the results mean? If you can't hold the tandem or single-leg for 10 seconds (or if you can't progress to the tandem stance at all), you are at high risk of falling, and you should see a physical therapist for further evaluation, according to Buckwell. "They can help you improve your balance through exercises that increase joint stability, mobility, and strength."
Advanced balance tests
Even if you easily pass the four-stage balance test, your balancing skills still may need attention. "More advanced tests can gauge your balance and coordination during everyday movements, when you are most likely to stumble or fall," says Buckwell.
"All these tests also act as balancing exercises. Practicing them regularly not only helps monitor your balance skills, but also improves them."
