Understanding Balance & Walking 
Do have any difficulty walking? Do you find yourself unsteady at times? Are you puzzled as to why this is happening? The purpose of this article is to shed some light on these problems and give you some information that may help. First, we shall talk about balance. Balance is a process of not falling. Your brain receives input from pressure sensors in your feet, body, eyes and inner ear. Your brain then processes this information to keep you upright when you walk and commands your body to respond appropriately. If all these elements are in working order – your brain, your inner ear, your vision, good sensation from your feet and a healthy musculoskeletal system, your balance is normal. However, if any of these breaks down, it creates problems. Let me explain. When you take a step, your brain commands your body to do so. However, if you have decreased sensation in your feet from diabetes, you cannot feel the ground normally. Your brain then uses other information from your eyes to make up for this loss. Good sensation in the feet is important to good balance. If you are on soft or uneven ground, the difficulty level is increased and it will be even tougher for you to walk if you have a loss of sensation in the feet. In addition, as we become less active, our calf and ankle muscles tighten. The foot needs to be able to move freely in order to adjust to any surface for walking freely without difficulty. This loss of motion can affect walking as the foot cannot make good contact with the ground. If your vision is poor or if you wear bifocals or transitional lenses, your balance can be affected. Your eyes help to determine the horizon line to keep you upright and steady. Inner ear problems can affect balance. For example, if you have allergies and fluid builds up in your ears, you have inner ear problems which can then affect balance. When you have inner ear problems, you usually also experience dizziness and a spinning room sensation which may make you feel nauseous. This makes balance very difficult. Lastly, your brain needs to function properly to keep all these systems—the eyes, inner ear and sensation from the feet sorted out to keep you balanced. At TriState Hand, Foot and Ankle Therapy, we have the Neurocom Balance Master which can test your balance. This device is also used by NASA for testing and training astronauts in balance. We also evaluate sensation in the feet with our painless nerve testing to see if this is an issue. We use a fundamental approach to balance, testing and training. We do more than just identity the problem. We can help you to overcome your balance and walking problems too! We also do custom orthotics to improve the contact of the foot with the ground. They can help make the body more stable which can improve your balance. If you are having difficulty walking or balance problems, please consider giving TriState Hand, Foot and Ankle Therapy a call. We can do a free screening or if you prefer, give your doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant a call and request a referral. The thoroughness of our evaluation will discover the root of your problem and address the specific obstacle to better walking and balance. This detailed approach is the secret to our success. If you need help, give us a call at 301-759-4263 and get your problems handled today! Try therapy first at TriState! |
||
|
© Tri State Hand and Occupational Therapy, Inc
|
