Bust a Move, Not a Hip: Dance Therapy Can Reduce Fall Risk for Seniors

It looks like Buzz Aldrin was on to something when he signed up for Dancing with the Stars! A recent study published in Nursing Administration Quarterly found that dance-based therapy can help improve gait and balance - two major fall risk factors - in the elderly.

The researchers, based at the University of Missouri, selected participants to take part in a dance-therapy program known as the Lebed Method three times a week for six weeks. The Lebed Method involves choreographed low-impact dance steps set to music.

More than half of the participants reported improvements in their gait and balance, suggesting that additional dance-based therapy would be useful in helping to decrease fall risk.