Inability to adequately control compensatory stepping reactions, as might occur with aging, is likely to lead to an increase in the risk of failing. My studies specifically focused on the role played by sensory information, from the mechanoreceptors of the soles of the feet, in the control of compensatory stepping. There is a well documented age-related loss in plantar-surface sensation of pressure, and the presumed role of such sensors in the control of balance could lead to effects on control of the compensatory stepping response which may lead to an increase in falling risk. To attempt to address this potentially important relationship between plantar surface sensitivity and the control of compensatory stepping, the study adopted three specific stages, to:​ (1) determine the role of mechanoreceptors in control of compensatory stepping (using hypothermia to attenuate the sensation of the plantar surface of the foot);​ (2) determine whether facilitation of this sensation would improve stepping performance (by placing a raised edge underneath the perimeter of the plantar foot surface, thus facilitating sensation from the stability boundaries of the base-of-support);​ and (3) establish if the natural age-related deterioration of this sensation can predict impaired stepping performance in older adults (by examining the relative ability of various sensory, neural and musculoskeletal measures to predict stepping performance). The results from the first study support the importance of sensory input from the sole of the feet in the control of the stepping response, particularly in controlling stability during prolonged swing phase and in controlling foot contact and the subsequent weight transfer and centre-of-mass deceleration. The facilitation study supported these conclusions and provided evidence that mechanical facilitation of sensation from the boundaries of the plantar surface of the foot can improve the efficacy of stabilizing stepping reactions. The results of the third study indicated that, although stepping performance appears to depend, in a complex manner, on interactions between age-related impairments in the different systems, cutaneous sensation appears to be among the more predominant factors affecting stepping performance. The results these studies indicate the critical role that sensation from the plantar surface of foot plays in postural control.