Bad Balance is Not Inevitable--Anyone Can Improve Their Balance! Standard thinking is, “Hey, I’m getting older; of course I’m not as coordinated as I used to be. It’s natural.” It seems like the majority of the people that I see with balance problems assume two things: 1.) “I’m getting older, and it’s normal to be clutzier and have poor balance,” and 2.) the decline in balance skills is inevitable, and not much can be done about it. The truth is that neither of these statements is accurate. Balance is a motor skill that, for the most part, is learned. Like any motor skill that is acquired (dancing, playing the piano, riding a bike), it can get rusty with disuse, and can be improved with practice. Secondly, it’s not normal for everyone as they get older to lose their balance—certain diseases can affect balance, but in general, most people develop poor balance due to what I describe as “couch potato syndrome”: When you become less active, less vital as a person, your balance begins to suffer. The connections of the brain to the body are reduced due to lack of activity. Proper balance depends on input from your feet. Little tiny sensors called mechanoreceptors provide information to your brain about the pressure on your feet. As long as you stay reasonably active and challenge yourself by walking regularly, both inside and outside, your balance stays in good shape. However, if you are hospitalized or on bed rest for a period of time, or if you have a medical condition that causes you to develop “couch potato syndrome,” your balance does not get used and thus declines. People who have diabetes have a loss of sensation in their feet, and this really does affect balance. It can especially be a problem outside or in the dark when the eyes cannot compensate. The most amazing thing is, most people are completely unaware of the loss of sensation in their feet. Subtle symptoms of this loss of sensation (known as peripheral neuropathy) are: • A heaviness in the legs • Difficulty getting up from a chair • Difficulty climbing stairs • A clawing of the toes • Frequently catching a toe on the carpet Patients have described sensory problems as it feels like their feet are stiff, dead, stumps, like they “have a layer of glue on them,” or like they’re “encased in cement.” They may also feel painful, especially at night, or with increased time spent on the feet, such as for grocery shopping. Besides these mechanoreceptors in the feet, the body also uses vision to help maintain balance, and the brain uses information from the inner ear (known as the vestibular system) to keep balance steady. If you find yourself having problems with balance, give us a call. We have the new Neurocom Balance Master, which is the latest technology in balance. It can help pinpoint where the problems are occurring, and this helps us know what type of program to do with you in therapy. These programs are informative and fun to do! Best of all, because it measures the problem so exactly, it helps make the treatment more effective and efficient. So stop your stumbling and give us a call today, or ask your doctor for a referral. We’ll be happy to answer any questions that you may have about our services, insurance, or scheduling. We have convenient free parking adjacent to our building, which is located downtown. Call (301) 759-4263 and let us help you handle your problem. |
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