Physical therapy for balance is a critical factor in helping patients develop strength, improve coordination, and prevent falls. While balance is often overlooked when it comes to understanding physical therapy, it’s essential for regaining mobility and full-body health.
A person’s sense of balance can be impacted by two major contributing factors. It involves the body’s ability to maintain equilibrium while standing or moving. It also involves the ability of an individual’s brain to process sensory information from their surrounding environment. In physical therapy, balance exercises are used to help strengthen muscles that support proper posture and alignment of bones. Balance exercises are also used to help patients increase their flexibility, build up their endurance and enhance their coordination. When an individual is able to build on their ability to balance, it can also reduce their risk of injury due to frequent falls, while improving their performance during physical activities.
Physical therapists can help to improve an individual’s balance by teaching them certain techniques. Some of these techniques include stretching, strengthening exercises, yoga poses, Tai Chi movements or Pilates routines. If you or someone you know is struggling with their body’s ability to maintain its balance, one of the first things they should do is visit a physical therapist, like Healing Therapeutics, to have a balance physical therapy assessment performed. Balance physical therapy assessments use state of the art techniques and technology to evaluate an individual’s balance, while prescribing them techniques to improve their functionality, mobility and balance confidence.
These techniques are specifically tailored to a patient’s unique individual needs and can be beneficial in improving their overall quality of life by increasing functional abilities within daily activities. In this blog post we will discuss how balance factors into physical therapy and why it’s so important to the overall health of your body.
What Exactly is Balance?
Understanding balance is important before undergoing physical therapy for balance. Balance can be defined as the ability to maintain control of our body position while standing or moving. It affects how well we walk, stand, move around obstacles and even sit down. Good balance requires good coordination of our muscles and joints to provide support while in motion. When people lose their balance due to injury or weakened muscles caused by aging, they may need help from a physical therapist to regain their stability.
Our sense of balance consists of three different bodily systems that in order to function properly, must work in unison. The first system is called the vestibular system and is composed of a complex network of canals in our inner ears which contain fluid. The second system has to do with the network of nerve endings throughout the skin and body and is called the somatosensory system. The third system is called the visual system and this system regulates and confirms the input that is received from the other two systems, in the brain.
Benefits of Good Balance
Having good balance helps us perform everyday tasks with ease and prevents us from falling or getting injured during activities that require movement. Stronger balancing skills are also beneficial for athletes who participate in sports such as skiing, golfing, hockey or basketball since they need quick reactions to stay upright while playing their sport. Additionally, having strong balance can help improve posture which can reduce stress on the lower back and prevent injury from occurring over time.
How Does Physical Therapy for Balance Help?
There are many benefits to having a balance physical therapy assessment performed. A physical therapist can assess your current level of balance and design an individualized plan that focuses on improving your overall stability and strength through specific exercises designed just for you. Exercises could include activities such as standing on one foot or walking across a beam while attempting to keep your body in line with the target area.
Your physical therapist will also work with you on posture improvement techniques that focus on strengthening core muscles which are responsible for helping maintain good posture when you are sitting or standing up straight. Additionally, therapists might recommend certain tools such as foam pads or wobble boards to increase instability during exercises which helps challenge the patient’s sense of equilibrium further than basic exercises alone could do.
Physical Therapy for Balance The Experts at Healing Therapeutics
Physical therapists understand how important balance is for everyday functioning, so they are dedicated to helping patients achieve better balance through specific exercises tailored specifically for them.
From assessing current levels of stability to developing personalized plans that incorporate both exercise and tools like foam pads or wobble boards, the professional physical therapists at Healing Therapeutics have the necessary knowledge to provide their patients with the best care possible. Ultimately, having good balance not only helps us perform daily tasks with more ease but it also allows us to participate more fully in activities we enjoy without worrying about getting hurt due to lack of proper stability skills.
To schedule your balance physical therapy assessment with the experts at Healing Therapeutics, give us a call today!
