Exercise Good Balance, says Step & Spine Physical Therapist

Barrett Ford, PT, has long enjoyed trail running. The founder of Step & Spine Physical Therapy in Sisters and Redmond, Barrett revels in the challenges of striding across uneven terrain – kicking up dust, bounding over downed limbs and lava rocks, and battling seasonal elements such as ice and freshly fallen snow.

In fact, years of this fostered a sense of personal pride, Barrett admits – pride in his ability to maintain tremendous balance.

“I’ve prided myself over the years for my ability to run over everything, even ice and snow, without the use of Yaxtrax,” he said, referring to the metal coils many runners (walkers, too) strap onto the soles of their shoes before trekking onto slippery surfaces.

But on a recent winter run, full steam ahead with sure-footed confidence, Barrett hit a rock, slipped and immediately went down. He couldn’t recover his balance.

“It’s amazing how fast I went down,” he said. “I just lost my balance. It happens, and it happens to the best of us.”

Barrett’s is his mid-40s, and while he remains active and healthy, he admits he’s not immune to the natural decline in balance that comes with age. None of us are, and the statistics prove it. According to the National Safety Council, injuries caused by falls account for about 8.9 million visits to the emergency room each year. Many of these falls can be prevented, Barrett said, through better balance.

What’s the best way to achieve better balance as you age?

“Work out your balance centers,” Barrett said. “There are four pillars of good balance – systems in our bodies that contribute to our ability to stay upright and level – and if you don’t exercise and challenge these pillars regularly, your long-term balance will suffer. It’s a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.”

Pillars of Balance

According to the Vestibular Disorders Association, balance is the ability to maintain your body’s center of mass over your base of support – your legs. Good balance allows you to see clearly while moving, identify your orientation to gravity and the things around you, determine speed and direction, and make automatic adjustments based on changes in the environment around you.

Barrett thinks of balance as a four-legged stool, each leg representing one of the four components of balance. If one leg becomes weak, breaks or simply disappears, it’s possible to remain upright, but it becomes more challenging. If two or more of the legs on your stool become lost or more weak? Forget about it.

So what exactly do each of these legs represent?

1. Eyesight: Your eyes tell you where you are in space. “If you’ve ever tried to walk and close your eyes, all of a sudden it becomes much more difficult,” Barrett said. With age, your vision tends to slowly deteriorate, which will negatively affect balance.
2. Inner Ear/Vestibular System: In the inner ear resides a trio of semi-circular canals made up of fluid, tiny crystals and microscopic hairs that work together to detect changes in direction. According to Barrett, the vestibular system can deteriorate through the lack of use.“As a kid, you do a lot of rolling and tumbling in the grass, and your vestibular system is well used and gives accurate feedback,” he said. “But as an adult, you don’t do this as often, and your vestibular system tends to get a little rusty when it’s not getting as much use.”
3. Proprioceptors: These are balance receptors that exist within each joint in your body. “If you’re standing on one foot,” Barrett said, “you’ll show how your body moves and shakes and adjusts – your knee and foot move in and out, etc. This is the work of your proprioceptors, which identify any and all alterations that are happening, then send the signal to your brain so your joints can adjust.”Like your vestibular system, your proprioceptors tend to work better over the long run when they’re regularly challenged and put to use. The lack of activity, along with joint surgery or injury, can render them less receptive to changes.
4. Strength & Flexibility: A strong and flexible musculoskeletal system can allow the body to react more swiftly and efficiently to the signals sent forth by the eyes, the vestibular system and the proprioceptors. “You may have great eyesight and a highly functional vestibular system, but without strength and flexibility, standing on one leg would be like balancing a pencil on end,” Barrett said.

Exercise Your Balance

Interestingly enough, Barrett’s pen analogy holds the key to regularly exercising your balance. The concept behind the regimen is simple: intentionally remove one or more of your pillars of balance in order to challenge the remaining systems. By regularly doing these exercises, Barrett says one can maintain good balance, and the confidence that comes with it, later in life.

The exercises are simple:

Single-Leg Stand: Attempt to stand on one leg. As you do this, you challenge both your proprioceptors and your vestibular system. These two balance centers, along with your eyesight, work together to ensure proper balance. After 15 to 30 seconds, switch legs. Close your eyes for a greater challenge.

Leg Stand With Motion: Once you master the single-leg stand, eyes open and/or closed, up the ante by moving your head from side to side and up and down. “You’ve simply just altered the single-leg stand a bit by messing with your vestibular system, leaving you feeling a little more stranded balance-wise,” Barrett said.

For safety, stand near a wall or the back of a sturdy chair when you begin these exercises in case you need help holding yourself steady. According to Barrett, doing these exercises daily, or just a few times each week, will help slow the deterioration of your balance, ensuring you’re able to remain active longer in life.

“It’s amazing how quickly the deterioration of balance can sneak up on you,” said Barrett, who added that many start to notice changes around the age of 40. “By exercising your balance, you’ll be able to enjoy what you love to do longer – walking, hiking, cycling, etc. – rather than succumbing to the comforts and security of a recliner.”

Step & Spine Physical Therapy offers balance evaluations in both its Sisters and Redmond locations. By separating the pillars of balance and evaluating each individually, physical therapists can identify personal balance deficiencies and help put you on a path toward improved functionality and performance.

To learn more about how Step & Spine can help improve your balance, contact them at 541-588-6848 (Sisters) or 541-504-5363 (Redmond).