Light Touch: Secret Weapon for Better Balance?

Imagine being able to stand steady as a tree with just a gentle touch. This simple action is called light touch. But just how good is this light touch at helping you stand still. Scientists did not stop with this. A group of volunteers were asked to stand on a force plate in different conditions. Some had to keep their eyes closed, others had to keep their eyes open. Some could have support with light touch, and some had to do it on their own. While others had to focus on a task while doing so. The researchers measured their body's centre of pressure. There was a bit of a surprise. When standing still and doing this light touch, the centre of pressure became a lot less regular. The data looked more random and unpredictable. Here is the kicker. Even when people had to focus on a task, The light touch made the centre of pressure more stable. So what does this all mean? In simple terms: light touch may be pulling attention away from the postural task itself. It looks like light touch can make a person stand still even if they have to divide their attention. This was shown when they did a reaction task during the experiment. One thing remains a bit unclear, it has not been proven, is this really a simple way to better balance. Imagine a presenter speaking to a room, without light touch the person on a stage might wobble.

How many times do you think they would lend a gentle hand on the table just to stay steady. It really works for standing, but the science is not settled if it is good or bad. Now, let's consider what you know about posture. It has been found that having a gentle touch can make anyone more steady. It feels like there are few forces at play, making one stand steady. The light touch is a fascinating tool. It is not a figurative touch for balancing. Think of this, holding a light touch can make a person more stable. The secret of standing still with a gentle touch perhaps will be used in a commercial. But, until then, and to make things worse it is as good as posting gymnastics stand long jump slippers. This means it works well for standing, walkers may take note, but may not be the same for a runner. The science however tells us it is unclear if being steady has been strengthened by light touch. A word of warning: you might become more unbalanced in a west direction. Something to think about: how does this affect balance in everyday activities? Maybe this gentle touch is bad, or maybe light touch is good and not bad. What if this light touch is applied for the elderly to stay steady'? The game is the equilibrium and the effect of light touch on balance is the game of physics and how much we can trick it?

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