Balance is an even distribution of weight in which an object or person can stay upright and steady. Balance keeps us from falling over during any upright activity such as walking, running, and sitting.
Read more about balance by clicking below!
How Does Balance Work?
Signals from the eyes and the position of your body are sent to your brain which processes the information. Then, the brain provides the appropriate feedback and if working properly, balance is the outcome. This set of signals is otherwise known as the vestibular system.
What May Cause Someone to Feel Off-Balance?
There are many reasons that a person may feel off balanced. This is because there are a couple different systems in the body that need to work together properly to keep us stable. Some examples of those are neurological injuries of the brain and inner ear injuries. These can affect a person’s balance and place them in a need for physical therapy or other interventions to address this deficit.
How Can I Improve My Balance?
There are many different activities that can help you improve your balance and most involve you being on your feet.
- Shifting your weight from one leg to the other can advance to standing on one leg.
- Standing on unstable surfaces like a BOSU ball or Dyna Disc as well as yoga or Tai chi exercises are great for overall strengthening.
The best thing to increase balance is to keep moving – so try and find any way to be up and active and your strength and balance will improve!
If you or a loved one is in need of physical, occupational, or speech therapy call our main office at 586-323-2957 to schedule your FREE 30 minute screening!
Written by: Eva Kelley, PTA
