Train Your Balance: Head Movement Exercises for Parkinson’s Disease

Balance depends on several body systems working together smoothly. As you walk, you naturally move your head and use your vision and hearing to stay aware of your surroundings and position in space. This sense of body awareness is known as proprioception.

Many people who fear falling begin looking down at the ground to search for obstacles. Although this may feel more secure, constantly looking downward can actually increase your fall risk. It limits your visual awareness of the environment and interferes with your body’s normal balance reactions.

Neck mobility is another key part of maintaining balance. The ability to look up, turn your head, and visually scan the environment helps your brain interpret spatial information more effectively. If you hear a sound but cannot turn your head or shift your eyes toward it, you will need to move your whole body instead. Those extra movements can make your balance less stable and increase your chance of falling.

The eye and head exercise I’ll teach you in this video will help improve your balance and mobility, promote a more upright posture, and reduce the habit of constantly looking down while walking—particularly if you are living with Parkinson’s disease.

If you are looking for more exercises to improve your balance, join our Balance Builders Course! It’s a five-week course that you can do in person or virtually. Classes are held once a week, and you’ll also get recorded videos that you can do at home. For more information, email Kimberly.

We also offer specialty digital courses to address a variety of Parkinson’s symptoms, including stooped posture and stiff hands and feet:

• Rebel Fit Club Posture School
• “From Cramping Feet to Happy Feet!” Course
• PD Exercises to Improve Hand Dexterity & Mobility

💜 Coach Kimberly