HEALTH: Biggest Reasons for Poor Balance with Aging and How to Fix

7 Biggest Reasons for Poor Balance with Aging and How to Fix them
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VISION
Our eyesight erodes with age. Some vision problems can become serious problems. Not seeing well puts one at risk of where they step, what they are stepping on and overlooking obstacles that can lead to a fall. Find an optometrist and consult with the professional who will monitor your vision as you age.
HEARING
The ears play a very important role in maintaining balance. There are features in the ear canal that help one maintain balance. Hence it is important to have hearing checked by your doctor on a recommended regular basis. Some people are prone to was buildup in their ears, a problem that a doctor can easily rectify in minutes. Ear drums lose their elasticity with age leading to deafness. Again, consulting with a professional is vital hear as hearing problems can cause balance issues.
POSTURE
As we age, we tend to slouch more and more to detrimentally affecting the spine. Make an effort to stand tall, stand straight as if a string is pulling you up by the head. Slouching will weaken back muscles, cause increased stress on joints and generate more pain in one’s back, hips and knees. An exercise for checking your posture is to stand backwards against a wall, hips touching the wall, feet a little away from it. Now, lean backward so the shoulder blades touch the wall. Can you make your head touch the wall too?
NUMBNESS (NEUROPATHY) IN THE FEET
People with numbness in the feet need to be especially careful with balance issues. Proper shoes may help. Consulting with a professional physiotherapist is something to consider to deal with neuropathy and proprioception (awareness and movement of the body.) An exercise to help with balance is to stand backwards in a corner with a chair in front of you as a safeguard. Add to the exercise by lifting each leg for a count of 3 or more, lifting as high as you easily can. Do this 3-4 times a week. Do this exercise on a cushion to develop ankle strength.
STRENGTHEN YOU LEGS
See the video
CHALLENGE YOUR BALANCE
Walk on uneven grassy terrain or trails, with a walking stick for added safety. Walking on trails is demanding of your ankles and balance.
SIDESTEPPIING EXERCISE
a) With a can or walking stick, do sidesteps for about 5-6 feet.
b) March forward and backward with exaggerate lifting of the knees
c) grapevine karaoke criss cross sidesteps: front step sideways in front of the base foot, alter feet, repeat but step behind….so it is a cross sidestop front, then back for about 6 feet.
d) heel-toe walk a tightrope, step forward about 10 steps, then go backwards. Be sure you heel touches your toes as you step.