Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Podcast · Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy

DD SIG Episode 59: Reactive Balance with Daniel Peterson

November 23, 2025·49 min·4 clips

Parm Paget opens with Daniel Peterson, an associate professor at Arizona State University and director of the Gait and Balance Lab. Peterson says roughly three quarters of his day is tied to research, much of it focused on understanding balance and fall prevention in neurological populations. The conversation then turns to why the ability to quickly release a movement matters. He frames it as catching yourself after a loss of balance. A key distinction comes next. Some falls are caused by external perturbations, like being bumped or having a wheelchair move unexpectedly. Others are internal, where a person is simply standing, turns to look off to the side, leans a little too far, and keeps going. Peterson points to earlier video review work from skilled nursing facilities that showed many falls start this way. The point is not only that people trip. It is also that people can fall while making ordinary movements. That matters because training needs to cover both cases. A clinician should not only prepare someone for contact from the outside. They should also practice the kind of quick recovery needed when the body itself drifts out of alignment. Parm reflects that she already uses obstacle courses and foam pads to create these challenges. She also brings up a balance-beam-style walking task as another way to ask for a compensatory step. Peterson treats that as a good example of the same clinical problem. The discussion stays grounded in what can actually be set up in a clinic. It keeps coming back to how a therapist can see whether someone can release a step fast enough. The language stays technical but practical, which fits the show's interview format. For neurologic rehab clinicians, the payoff is a clear way to think about balance training as recovery, not just stillness.

As heard by us

A practical look at how balance recovery works before the fall.

Reactive balance sits at the center of this episode, as Daniel Peterson explains that falls are not always caused by being bumped or shoved. The point lands best when the discussion separates external perturbations from internal ones and connects that distinction to common…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If reactive stepping matters in your balance work, this gives you a cleaner way to think about it.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Podcast