Single leg stance with head turns means balancing on one leg while you turn your head slowly from side to side. Moving your head takes away the steady view your eyes usually rely on, so the inner ear and the standing leg have to do more of the work. Physios use it in balance programs as a step on from holding still on one leg, once that feels steady.

How to do the single leg stance with head turns

Stand side-on to a counter, close enough to rest a hand on it without leaning over. Put your feet together and let your arms hang loosely.
Shift your weight onto one leg and bend the other knee so that foot comes a little way off the floor behind you. Let it hang free rather than hooking it round the standing calf.
When you feel settled, look straight ahead. Then turn your head slowly to look to one side, back through the middle and across to the other side.
Only your head moves. Keep your shoulders and hips facing forward with the pelvis level. The standing knee stays soft rather than locked.
Keep turning at an even pace for the time your program sets, or until you need to put the foot down. Rest, then change legs if your program works both sides.

What you should feel

Busy, constant corrections in the ankle and foot you stand on, and effort at the side of that hip. Expect each turn to make the balance a little harder than looking straight ahead.

Common mistakes

Twisting the shoulders round along with the head.
Turning the head fast or in jerks.
Propping the lifted foot against the standing leg.
Pushing the standing knee back until it locks.

How often

Many programs start with holds of 10 to 30 seconds on each leg with slow head turns, repeated 2 to 3 times, once or twice a day. Your physio will adjust this.

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 wobble so much that you have to put the foot down and grab the counter to stay up.
Neck pain, or tingling into an arm, as you turn your head, or sharp pain in the hip, knee or ankle you stand on.
Things look double, your vision suddenly blurs or goes, your speech slurs or becomes muddled, swallowing becomes hard, your face or lips go numb, one side of your face droops or one side of your body goes weak or numb, you suddenly become so dizzy or unsteady that you fall or cannot stand or walk, your legs suddenly give way but you do not black out (a drop attack), or you get a sudden severe headache. Stop and call emergency services, even if it goes away.

From the clinic

The woman in the video balances in open space, but at home a counter within reach is the safer choice, and resting a fingertip on it is fine while you learn. Move rugs and clutter away and practice on a floor that does not slip. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet. If you have had a fall in the last 12 months, feel unsteady walking about, or take a medicine that makes you drowsy or dizzy, keep a hand on the counter all the way through, practice only with another adult at home, and ask your doctor or physio about a falls check.

These head turns are there to challenge your balance, not to make you dizzy. If they do, put the foot down and hold the counter, then sit down and follow the dizziness stop sign above. If you already get spinning spells when you move your head, or have an inner ear problem, get checked by your doctor or physio before you add head turns. If your physio has set head turns as rehab for an inner ear problem, follow the speed and timing they gave you. The dizziness and BPPV page explains a common cause of dizziness with head movement, and how inner ear exercises differ from general balance work.

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.

The voice guide asks you to stand on your affected leg for as long as you can. A set time is easier to track from week to week, and stopping before you tire keeps the wobble in check. Build up from plain single leg stance until a still head feels steady, then add slow turns through a small range and widen them over time. Walking with head turns takes the same head movement into walking.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try single leg stance with head turns. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. After a knee fracture or knee surgery, including a knee replacement, follow your surgeon's or physio's plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. After an ankle fracture or ankle surgery, follow your surgeon's or physio's weight-bearing plan, and start this exercise only when they have cleared you. After neck surgery or a broken bone in the neck, check with your surgeon or physio before you start.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

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.

Single leg stance with head turns