Re: improving walking and balance

[Guest guest]

Gretchen,

Can you share with us some of the tips and ideas that the Physical Therapists

have given you to help improve walking & balance (especially balance), as mine

is becoming terrible!!!. Thank God for walls, because if the walls weren't there

to hold me up when I loose my balance, I would spend most of my day's on the

floor...LOL

Donna in Indy.

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

First off, the PT said do NOT rely on walls for support! (I was

a " wall hugger " too!) While at UCLA I had some early training in

walking barefoot making a conscious effort to put my heel down first,

then toes. (because I am, by nature, a toe walker) First all I could

do was to look down to do this, from there the PT had me look

straight ahead and continue to walk barefoot heel down first. Then we

did this with shoes on. And I was supposed to do this (barefoot) in

sand 3X a week at least. Not dry sand, not wet sand, but just moist

enough where the heel sinks in.

Other PTs came along and gave me eye/hand coordination exercises to

improve balance, using balls and more recently in aquatics one of the

exercises I do is with a float device, moving it side to side,

focusing on my left hand with my eyes and twisting to the left, then

the same thing twisting to the right. About 30-40 reps.

I also learned to walk in water (in the pool) against a 5 mph

current, some days 7 mph. It's hard, but it is great for balance.

There too, in the pool, I also focus on heel to toe walking. (I do

wear shoes in the pool, but no orthotics) This translates out to land

well, although if I am extremely tired, in the late evenings, once in

a great while I revert to the toe walking. I'm usually in bed at 9:30

so this doesn't happen much anymore, lol

I've also worked with a wobble board - really hard to balance on, and

a very large ball which I sit on and do ab crunches - really hard. In

the pool I learned a move from martial arts which includes eyes

focused on a point ahead with hands about 12 inches apart. Then fold

one arm across chest, with my eyes focused on my hand, then punch

outward frontally with my other arm, with eyes focused on that hand.

And many reps of that.

There's other stuff, I'll have to think more about everything and

post more when I can verbalize it. Sort of difficult to write about

it without doing it or showing pictures!

Gretchen

[Guest guest]

Donna:

The best balance advice I ever received was given me by a Physiatrist

last year.

She advised be to be sure that each step started with my heel planted

and rolling onto my toes.

Easy but it really makes a difference.

Now if my dog would just make sure his Pluto toy wasn't left in the

middle of the hall ....

--Larry

[Guest guest]

Larry,

I will try that...However, my foot is only about a size 3.5 or 4 in girls, and

severely atrophied, and severe foot drop, & high arch. so there's not much

rolling that can be done.

I know what you mean about things on the floor. The other day I was at my son's

house, and he's much more affected than I am, and he stepped on his daughter's

baby doll bottle in the middle of the floor....he was flat on the floor in

seconds.

Donna