{ WELLNESS 360 }
THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE IN YOUR BY BETH PARRY
Over one-third of Americans aged 65+ fall each year. With each fall that happens, your risk of future falling increases. The fear of falling also significantly increases your risk of future falls. For many of us, falling does not feel like a risk factor at a younger age. The best defense of protecting our “future” self is being proactive at a younger age. Let’s first discuss the body’s process of keeping balance. The body has 3 primary sources of balance; proprioception, hearing, and eye sight. You can now see why aging can significantly impact our balance. Let’s talk a minute about proprioception. Proprioception is specialized sensory receptors on nerve endings throughout the body. They are found in muscles, tendons, joints, and the inner ear. These receptors relay information about the motion or position of our body in space. Proprioceptors detect subtle changes in movement, position, tension, and force within the body. Multiple diagnoses will 314
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : OCTOBER EDITION 2021
interfere with your proprioception, aging being number one—brain injuries from stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, ALS, Huntington’s Disease. Arthritis, including disc degeneration, post joint surgery, or neuropathy, are all factors with proprioception loss. Your inner ear plays a significant
role in balance. Ever had an episode of vertigo? How did it impact your balance? I am assuming significantly, along with motion sickness. Your inner ear hosts a series of canals, fluid-like substances, and hair-like follicles that control that “balanced” feeling. The most important part of the inner ear is
the utricle and saccule that have tiny particles that tell your body the position of your head in relation to gravity. Sometimes these tiny particles come out of the canal, causing significant episodes of dizziness and whirling feelings. A diagnosis of Meniere’s disease can affect your inner ear leading to chronic dizziness. L a s t l y, y o u r eyesight can also play a significant role in balance. Yo u r e ye s i g h t provides input from your eyes to your brain. When your vision is imbalanced from one eye to another, it causes conflicting signals from each eye to the brain. The directional pulling in your eyes can stimulate nystagmus, which can cause significant dizziness. When your eyes are imbalanced, it can feel motion, even when sitting still. While there are multiple diagnoses for eye strain, nystagmus, and sight loss, aging is still the number one factor. Many extrinsic factors stimulate
