See Yourself With Better Balance

Vision And Senior Balance Exercises

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

   One of the main components of stability is our visual input, which can be maximized by adding certain senior balance exercises to a workout program. Please see more information at  http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now Having good steadiness is important, especially as we age. The basic task of balance is to help us stay upright when standing and walking. Most importantly, stable balance helps us to carry out our everyday activities, without the fear of falling down.  The definition of balance can be summarized in a few key points.  Balance relies on information received by the brain from our eyes, muscles and joints, and the vestibular (inner ear) system. The brain takes this information and creates steady balance. An error in any part of this system, due to normal aging or disease, can cause a loss of balance. One of the first systems to suffer the impact of aging is the sensory system, especially vision. Unfortunately, loss in vision is a common aspect of aging for older individuals.
Vision plays a critical role in maintaining body balance by performing several key factors:

1)    Continuously providing information about the environment, our body movements and positions to the nervous system. This helps stabilize our bodies when standing and walking.

2)    Helping us perceive our environments clearly and analyze prevailing safe vs. hazardous conditions correctly.

Balance ability declines with the degree of vision loss. The main reason for this is that elders tend to rely more on the visual information for stable balance, and this effect increases with age. When vision declines, balance becomes more difficult to maintain. This is demonstrated when a person stands with eyes closed or walks into a dark room; in both instances balance becomes unsteady. In addition, individuals with low vision:

1)    Have a decreased ability to see obstacles or hazards that may lead to slips and trips, particularly in dim lighting. Young people use visual cues to perceive fall threats and take corrective action. Elders with visual impairments do not have this advantage.

2)    Have a heightened fear of falling. The combination of low vision and fear of falling can result in being "afraid to move about," which can lead to muscle weakness and increased fall risk.

Vision and balance are important factors in falling. Elders with poor vision fall much more often than that those elders with normal vision. Elders with poor or low vision are also at great risk of falling and suffering injury. Not being able to see properly is associated with a two-fold risk of hip fracture. As a result, older folks are encouraged to practice senior balance exercises to help improve their steadiness, especially if they have visual problems.

Easy Balance Exercises For Seniors

   By practicing dynamic balance exercises for seniors, older adults are able to accomplish their activities of daily living safely and without falling.  One example of equilibrium routines includes standing balance skills like standing on one foot for twenty seconds. This single leg standing routine can be rehearsed three times on each leg for about twenty seconds with each repetition. You can become familiar with how to perform geriatric balance exercises by following along with the instruction from a qualified Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Senior Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    For those with visual deficits,  get started on a course of the best balance exercises with the Exercise For Balance DVD. The healthcare provider recommended Exercise For Balance DVD is a high quality instructional DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The easy to understand and simple to follow Exercise For Balance DVD includes  a step by step series of the latest balance and strength exercises necessary to optimize senior fitness and to carry out basic daily activities like shopping, doing laundry,  walking, standing, cleaning house, stair climbing or to advance to more difficult pursuits like skiing, dancing, playing golf and hiking. In the  comprehensive Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve stability, how to apply steadiness techniques and how to safely execute balance routines from a  qualified balance specialist --- licensed Physical Therapist---who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 25 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

With low vision, 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/