Afraid of falling? Replace fear with confidence and tools for your active life!
Maintaining balance depends on information received by the brain from the eyes, muscles and joints, and vestibular organs in the inner ear. When this system is disrupted by damage to one or more components through injury, disease, or the aging process you may experience impaired balance accompanied by other symptoms such as dizziness, vertigo, vision problems, nausea, fatigue, and concentration difficulties.
Balance is the ability to maintain the body’s center of mass over its base of support. A properly functioning balance system allows humans to see clearly while moving, identify orientation with respect to gravity, determine direction and speed of movement, and make automatic postural adjustments to maintain posture and stability in various conditions and activities.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
Balance is achieved and maintained by a complex set of sensorimotor control systems that include sensory input from vision (sight),proprioception (touch),and the vestibular system (motion, equilibrium, spatial orientation); integration of that sensory input; and motor output to the eye and body muscles.
PROCESSING OF CONFLICTING SENSORY INPUT
A person can become disoriented if the sensory input received from his or her eyes, muscles and joints, or vestibular organs sources conflicts with one another. For example, this may occur when a person is standing next to a bus that is pulling away from the curb. The visual image of the large rolling bus may create an illusion for the pedestrian that he or she—rather than the bus—is moving. However, at the same time the proprioceptive information from his muscles and joints indicates that he is not actually moving. Sensory information provided by the vestibular organs may help override this sensory conflict. In addition, higher level thinking and memory might compel the person to glance away from the moving bus to look down in order to seek visual confirmation that his body is not moving relative to the pavement.
STEPS TO ADDRESS THIS
This is why, our brain-based fall prevention, preparation, and practice workshop covers all aspects of balance and fall practice. We cannot truly gain confidence in improved balance and fall risk, without training all aspects of balance. Learn balance challenges, visual integration, sensation training, strength exercises, fall preparation, neuro cognitive drills, fall practice drills.
START WITH A FEW MINUTES A DAY
With our weekly neuro drills, complete one vision, one balance, and 1 movement drill weekly (do once a week, every day, or multiple times in the day) to see improvement!
To staying upright!
