Young children naturally learn to integrate vision and balance. They learn to crawl, then walk, by looking at the floor or ground, eventually learning to negotiate slopes, stairs and uneven terrain. Some exercises can actually focus on vision-balance integration and accelerate it. Hopscotch is an age-old game that develops vision-balance integration. Having children walk along straight, painted lines or compete in balance games — like pushing one another out of a circle — also improves sensory integration.
Scientists are not altogether sure what causes motion sickness, but their best hypothesis to date is something called “sensory conflict.” The constellation of sensory inputs that equate to balance in everyday life are changed by unaccustomed motion. Both vestibular disturbance and visual disturbance can cause motion sickness. If visual disturbance causes it, then the activity to counter motion sickness may be to either close one’s eyes or to pick a point and rotate the head to keep that point in focus — much as many dancers do when performing spins. If the motion sickness is vestibular in origin, as it often is with seasickness, it can sometimes be counteracted by staying outside and watching the horizon.
Athletes typically require a combination of strength, speed, endurance and agility. Agility requires balance. Some athletes actually train on balance boards, a board that is mounted on a rocker or that rocks along a bearing-mounted rail. The athlete learns to focus her eyes on stationary objects while allowing her body to flex and swing to maintain balance. Gymnasts train on balance beams. Leaping from stone to stone, or using marks as simulated stones, is a very effective visual-vestibular integration exercise. Tai-Chi and yoga are also good balance training activities.
Stroke victims and spinal cord injury patients often have to re-learn balance. One technical innovation for physical therapy has been accidental. Wii game products include a game called Balance Board. Players stand on a flat platform that senses where their center of gravity is. That center is displayed on a monitor or television screen as four quadrants, divided by two intersecting lines, with an orange dot indicating where the center of gravity is at any moment. The player attempts to keep the orange dot on the line intersection in the middle of the monitor. This visual-feedback balance game has proven effective in re-learning balance for stroke sufferers and partial spinal cord injury victims.