A side to side weight shift is a slow sway from one foot to the other while both feet stay flat on the floor. You stand with your feet hip width apart and your hands on your hips, then move your weight over one leg and back across to the other, keeping your pelvis and shoulders level. Because you never lift a foot, it is one of the first standing balance exercises in many programs.

How to do the side to side weight shift

Stand with your feet hip width apart beside a kitchen counter, or with a sturdy chair in front of you. Put your hands on your hips, as in the video, or rest them on the support.
Stand tall, look straight ahead and gently tighten your stomach muscles.
Slowly shift your weight onto one foot, letting your hips travel sideways until they are over that foot. It is a small sway, as in the video, and both feet stay flat on the floor.
Pause for a moment, then move your weight back through the middle and across onto the other foot.
Keep your shoulders and pelvis level throughout. Do not let the other hip drop, and do not jut the hip you are standing on out to the side past your foot.

What you should feel

Gentle work at the side of the hip you move onto, and small adjustments in your feet and ankles. It should feel calm and controlled.

Common mistakes

Leaning your upper body sideways instead of moving your hips over your foot.
Letting the hip on the unweighted side sink down.
Lifting a heel or the edge of a foot off the floor.
Swaying quickly so momentum does the work.

How often

Many programs start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 slow shifts to each side, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this and tell you when you can rely less on the support.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You start to lose your balance and need to grab your support to stay up.
Sharp pain in the hip, knee or ankle.
Since the fracture or cast, the foot or ankle is getting more painful rather than less, the skin becomes very sensitive to light touch, or the foot changes color, temperature, swelling or sweating compared with the other one, or looks shiny. See your doctor or physio as soon as you can, within a few days at most, as this can be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and early treatment may help.

From the clinic

The voice guide suggests standing in front of a mirror. The video does not show one, but it is worth doing, because a dropping hip or a tilting shoulder is much easier to see than to feel. The person in the video has nothing to hold, yet a counter or sturdy chair within reach is the safer way to start, on a non-slip floor. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. If you have fallen in the past year, get dizzy when you stand up, or take medicines that affect your balance, keep a hand on the support throughout and ask your doctor or physio about a falls check.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

When the shift feels steady, programs often move on to marching on the spot or single leg stance, where one foot leaves the floor. If you have had a hip or knee replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try side to side weight shifts. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. Ask them how much weight you are allowed to put through the operated leg before you shift fully onto it.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Side to side weight shift