Creating Balance Balance is not something you find, its something - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Creating Balance Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. - Jana Kingsford Kristie Walker Corrective Exercise Specialist www.JustBreathingLLC.com

Katy Bowman www.NutritiousMovement.com ▪ Biomechanist ▪ Author ▪ Blogger ▪ Podcasts/Videos ▪ Paradigm shift ▪ Whole body ▪ Expert/Info only ▪ Incorporate

Today’s presentation ▪ Feet assessment/exercises ▪ Importance of feet and nerves ▪ Proprioceptive system ▪ Alignment points ▪ Shoes change balance ▪ Balance/Fall myths ▪ Exercises for balance improvement and whole- body health

You are Responsible for You! Safety First ▪ Always check with your physician or physical therapist before beginning any exercise program ▪ Especially if you have “replacement” parts ▪ Begin by holding onto or leaning on a chair to prevent falling Listen to your Body! ▪ Take responsibility for your own safety and wellbeing • Try options or modifications if you experience pain • Or try again another day ▪ Soreness/cramping may occur – go slow, focus, and adjust

Feet and Toe Assessments/Exercises

Importance of Our Feet ▪ How many bones in each foot? ▪ How many joints in each foot? ▪ What % of muscles and motor nerves are from ankle down? ▪ Over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments in our feet – most don’t get used if the joints don’t change position ▪ What is the number of unique shapes of the foot?

Nerves Sensory nerves ▪ Similar to the skin on palm of hands (highly sensitive) ▪ Interpret shape of ground and provide 3D map (dolphin) Motor nerves – execute the command from our brain after receiving signals from sensory nerves More sensory input = better motor output ▪ Strong/flexible foot muscles = healthy/active nerves in the feet ▪ Texture changes for our feet • nerves sensing temperature and terrain go into autopilot ▪ Feel the ground beneath us! • cushioning diminishes info – walking blind The healthier the muscles and nerves in our feet… the better our whole-body health and BALANCE become

Importance of Feet and Nerves ▪ There are more nerve endings on the bottom of the feet than anywhere but the fingertips and the lips, and this is not an accident. Your feet are supposed to feel things when they’re moving. They’re supposed to feel the surface underneath them. ▪ Waking up the muscles in our feet means reactivating the nerves in our feet. ▪ Skin is a sensory organ with receptors in the feet that sense touch – so when we take our shoes off and begin reactivating the muscles of your feet, we also reactivate large segments of our brain and improve balance.

Toes and Feet Exercises

Proprioception ▪ Ability for one part of your body to know where it is relative to the other parts ▪ Ability to sense the orientation of our body in our environment (receptors located in muscles, tendons, fascia and connective tissue) ▪ Assists in creating an image of what’s happening internally (inside the skin) ▪ Tight muscles and stiff joints gives your brain a low-res image of what is happening in your body ▪ The more supple (not tight) the muscles and tissues, the better the proprioception = higher res image

Proprioception ▪ What system are we heavily relying on to keep us balanced? ▪ What information is YOUR brain making decisions with? A Hi or Low Resolution image? ▪ How can you “beef up” your pixels? With alignment - which means your muscles are all at the right length to optimize your mental image of yourself. ▪ Alignment allows you to move quickly and freely without having to consciously think about where you are in space or in your environment.

Alignment Points ▪ Understanding where our alignment points are shows us how far away from neutral we are, so maybe we can start to get a little closer over time ▪ Never force ourselves into a position ▪ Alignment is not posture (function versus how it looks) ▪ Making these simple adjustments over and over again can improve the loads to your feet, lower back, hips, knees, pelvis and balance in an instant ▪ These points are the actual mechanical positions your joints should be in for optimal flow, balance and minimal degeneration • Neurological • Lymphatic • Blood

Alignment Point Provides a larger base of support to increase balance *Add to gait

Alignment Point Aligns weight of head (8-12lbs) over shoulders instead of causing weight to shift forward which increases risk of falls For every inch forward of the head’s optimal alignment, the weight of the head effectively doubles .

Alignment Point Aligns weight of body over heels instead of causing weight to shift forward which increases risks of falls (10 helpers)

Heels (ANY positive heel) There is no way to stand in alignment while wearing positive-heeled shoes Encouraging ourselves to FALL FORWARD! (10 helpers) Slip on shoes - changes the stiffness of your feet and your gait Resulting in: ▪ Less stable base ▪ Lack of a sense of environment ▪ Higher probability of falling

Balance Dynamic Aging Myth: Age seems to be the obvious cause of many falls. Truth : Age itself isn’t a marker for falls, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that one first address the following movement related risks: ▪ Foot problems ▪ A sedentary lifestyle ▪ Gait and balance difficulties ▪ Lower-body weakness

Sitting Too Much Effects Balance ▪ The more hours you sit, the more energy, quantity and quality of muscle mass, and metabolic function all go downhill. ▪ Eventually, persistent long hours of sitting lead to progressively more muscle loss with age. ▪ In turn, muscle loss means losing mobility, balance, coordination and independence. ▪ You become frail. Therefore, you have a greater chance of falling and being injured. Any time you get a device to do something for you, or as the advertising gurus say “to make your life easier”, you are, in fact, signing your death warrant.

Balance and Alignment Designed to Move Myth: Falls are a sure way to an early death. Balance problems are the cause, not less moving. (Implying we need to focus on balance) Truth : Balance exercises certainly can help strengthen coordination, but how many times a day do you do them? Good balance starts with movement , as well as good gravity- aligned posture, whether standing in line at the post office, grocery store, or even sitting.

Relaxed Stability – Instead of Stiff Statue ▪ Pelvis-width apart ▪ Head ramp ▪ Weight back on heels

Pelvic List ▪ Outer thigh muscles help balance when walking ▪ Walking becomes more stable ▪ Allows glutes to activate properly for better pelvic floor function ▪ Reduces workload for the front of the body – resulting in less stress and damage to knees ▪ Less risk of falling as center of gravity remains over the grounded leg when walking

The Way We Walk Has a profound impact on which muscles are used ▪ Shuffle - we’re not moving our ankles much, so they stiffen and don’t move when we need them to. ▪ Bending knees slightly to keep body weight low – we work the front of the leg muscles, but reduce the work of the hips so they stiffen and weaken. ▪ Adjust your gait when needed (e.g., walking on ice), but “walking afraid” with every step doesn’t in the end, protect us from falls. It weakens the body in ways that make us more susceptible to falls in the long run. ▪ The key to reduce risk of falling is to strengthen the body in a way that gives you a confident gait.

Toe/Top of Foot Stretch ▪ Increases foot mobility to aid you when balance is needed ▪ Good for undoing chronic “gripping” tension in the toes and the front of the ankle (flip-flops) ▪ Helps restore toe & foot function by stretching the toes ▪ Wakes up the small muscles in the foot which can increase neurological activity ▪ Wearing shoes means we rarely (if ever) contract these muscles, so they will be stiff and resistant to changing

Calf Stretch ▪ Foundation of Katy’s program ▪ Appropriate length calves: ▪ loosens walking muscles and fascia in foot (plantar fasciitis) (detrimental to gait if they are tight) ▪ increases the neurological and blood flow to the foot – helping to repair damaged foot muscle and fascia (especially important for peripheral neuropathy) ▪ helps prevents body weight from being pushed forward (decreasing sensation of instability or falling)

THORACIC STRETCH ▪ If your spine has started to curl forward, vertical balance can be more of a challenge. This stretch will help you stand straighter versus weight forward, which increases risk of falls ▪ Helps with respiratory function (increased O2 intake) by decreasing excessive curvature of upper back and the tightness in the shoulders

It’s Not the Fall, It’s the Faller ▪ A fall is not an issue in and of itself. Humans fall all of the time without equal penalty. The impact of a fall has more to do with the state of the body doing the falling – the interface between a body and a particular surface. ▪ Robust tissues – supple muscles and ligaments, strong bones, and the ability to quickly adjust your shape – hold the potential to reduce the impact of a fall. (Whole body health) ▪ For this reason I suggest improving not only your balance and stability, but also your joint mobility, muscle mass, and bone density (all can be improved with better alignment).