&Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
“My Poor Balance Keeps Me From Completing Simple Tasks. ” How’s Your Balance?
Here’s a simple test for you: Can you close your eyes and stand steady on one leg for 10 seconds? If not, then your balance is not up to par. Your ability to balance is an incredibly complex action that requires millions of nerves and hundreds of muscles to work together to help you move and stop you from falling over on your face. Many people think having poor balance happens in just older people. However, poor balance is one of the leading causes for sports injuries, chronic back pain and much more. Having poor balance often goes undetected until it is very severe and puts one at exceptional risk for injury. It is even worse for older adults, especially over age 65, of which
one third fall each year. People who experience a fall are at increased risk for future falls too. Major injuries, including fractures, head trauma, and soft tissue injuries, occur in about 10% of individual falls. However, minor injuries are much more common. Balance and walking progressively decline as you age. There can be fears of going up steps or curbs, walking on grass or walking in dark areas of your house. One reason is joint stiffness and weakness in muscles of the hips, lower extremities and feet. When there is a loss of the mobility in the ankle joint and multiple joints of the foot, you cannot adapt well to uneven terrain.
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