Walking Your Way to Better Balance: What Treadmill Training Can Do for Adults with Mild Balance Impairment
- Julian Simpson
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Walking Your Way to Better Balance: What Treadmill Training Can Do for Adults with Mild Balance Impairment
Maintaining balance as we age is crucial for staying independent and avoiding falls. Recent research has explored how different treadmill training approaches can help adults with mild balance issues improve their stability and mobility. The study compared three types of treadmill training:
Traditional Treadmill Training (TT) – walking on a standard treadmill with full body weight.
Lower-Body Positive Pressure Treadmill Training with Body Weight Support (PP-BWS) – walking on a treadmill where part of your weight is supported by air pressure around the lower body.
Lower-Body Positive Pressure Treadmill Training without Body Weight Support (PP-noBWS) – walking on the same treadmill but without body weight support.
Who Took Part?
The study involved 72 adults with mild balance impairments, mostly aged around 56 years, with an even mix of men and women. Participants trained on their assigned treadmill type for eight weeks, with follow-ups two weeks later.
What They Measured
Researchers looked at three key measures of balance and mobility:
Berg Balance Scale (BBS) – measures overall balance across various daily tasks.
Functional Reach Test (FRT) – assesses how far you can reach without losing balance.
Timed Up and Go (TUG) – tests how quickly you can rise from a chair, walk a short distance, turn, and sit down again.
They also used force plates and smartphone apps to measure sway and gait patterns.
Key Findings
All treadmill types improved balance and mobility. Everyone saw improvements over the 8-week training period.
Traditional treadmill walking may give slightly better balance gains.
TT and PP-noBWS groups showed more sustained improvements on the BBS than PP-BWS.
Walking with full body weight seems to better mimic daily activities, which may help muscles, joints, and the nervous system work together more effectively.
Early mobility gains with body weight support.
PP-BWS helped participants improve mobility faster in the first few weeks (TUG test), likely because it reduced joint strain and fear of falling.
However, these gains plateaued after week 4.
Balance improvements may be task-specific.
FRT improvements were noticeable during training but less evident at follow-up, suggesting that treadmill training mainly enhances dynamic walking stability, which may not fully transfer to reaching tasks.
Sensorimotor engagement matters.
Traditional treadmill walking challenges your muscles and senses more, helping your brain recalibrate balance and movement patterns.
Lower-body positive pressure treadmills reduce sensory challenges, which may limit long-term balance improvements.
What This Means for You
If you have mild balance problems, treadmill training can help—but the type of treadmill matters:
Traditional treadmills or positive pressure treadmills without body weight support are likely better for lasting improvements in balance.
Positive pressure treadmills with body weight support can be useful if you have pain, joint issues, or a fear of falling, as they allow safer early practice.
In practice, combining treadmill training with real-world walking and functional exercises may help reinforce balance improvements and maintain mobility over time.
Takeaway
All treadmill-based interventions helped participants improve balance and walking ability. Traditional treadmill walking may provide the most functional benefit for long-term balance, while body weight-supported options can ease you into training safely. For anyone looking to improve balance, a structured treadmill program, guided by a professional, can be an effective part of your rehabilitation or wellness plan.
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Shafi H, Awan WA, Olsen S, Ahmed Siddiqi F, Rashid U, Niazi IK. Comparative effectiveness of lower body positive pressure and traditional treadmill training on adults with mild balance impairment. Front Aging. 2025 Oct 22;6:1645026. doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1645026. PMID: 41200661; PMCID: PMC12586058.
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