Senior Balance Exercises And Cervical Spondylolysis

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com/

    Practicing senior balance exercises on a daily basis can be extremely helpful for individuals to have crossed over the 60-year-old life event marker.  Equilibrium exercises can be unimportant adjunct for people with medical conditions or orthopedic conditions that can include hip and knee replacements, unstable ankles, back pain, neck pain and arthritis.  One specific condition that can lead to balance problems and includes neck pain and stiffness is called cervical spondylolysis. Cervical spondylosis is caused by chronic wear on the structures in the neck region called the cervical spine.  The structures that can be involved include the disks or cushions between the neck vertebrae and the joints between the bones of the cervical spine.  Over time, abnormal growths or "spurs" on the bones of the spine (vertebrae) can develop, leading to neck pain and stiffness.  Changes in the cervical spine can, over the years, press down on (compress) one or more of the nerve roots of the spinal cord that exit in the neck region. In advanced cases, the spinal cord becomes further compressed, thereby affecting not only the arms, but also the legs as well with radiating pain, numbness and tingling. The major risk factor is aging and poor posture, where the head is forward of the shoulders. By the time people are in their sixties, most women and men show signs of cervical spondylosis on x-ray. Other factors that can make a person more likely to develop spondylosis are:

• Being overweight and not exercising

• Having a forward head posture while driving, reading, working on the computer

• Having a job that requires heavy lifting or a lot of bending and twisting

• Previous neck injury

• Past spine surgery

• Herniated or fractured discs in the spine

• Severe arthritis

• Osteoporosis

Cervical spondylosis can lead to balance problems secondary to the radiating pain, numbness and weakness that can occur in the arms and legs.  Additionally, cervical spondylosis can create balance deficits secondary to decreased neck range of motion, limiting the input to the balance system in the brain from the proprioceptive receptors in the neck.  Please see  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now

Senior Balance Exercises And Cervical Spondylolysis

The best way to combat the balance problems created by cervical spondylosis is to practice senior balance exercises on a daily basis.  Equilibrium exercises will help older adults maximize their sensory input from their feet and ankles to help steady them during all walking and standing activities.  Stability exercises also enhance the balance reactions at the feet and ankles which are necessary for good balance abilities.  Neck range of motion exercises can be added to standing balance routines to not only help improve neck mobility but also adapt to challenging balance situations that are needed while walking outdoors or even while performing activities of daily living in a home.  Now you can practice a balance exercise routine developed for seniors by an experienced Physical Therapist with the exercise for balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    For those with neck pain & stiffness, begin the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The Balance DVD is easy for everyone to use at home or in a group setting. The DVD comes complete with the best balance and strength exercises needed to enhance senior fitness and to perform basic activities like walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn all the necessary information on how to improve balance, balance techniques and balance routines from a balance trainer ---licensed Physical Therapist--- who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

For anyone with neck pain & stiffness, start balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
For more information see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health-information/