You've been there, after dinner, you leave the restaurant with your wife. You can't quite make out the parking lot and you have to grab her hand to get to the car. You worry that your vision is impacting your ability to walk. You're concerned that people might think you're drunk.
Or maybe you were walking through the grocery store and things got a little fuzzy. It was hard to concentrate. The movement of people around you made you dizzy. You’re worried about completing everyday tasks.
Your vision is betraying you. And now your brain-vision connection is impacting your ability to Love Your Life.
Your visual system is one of the three (3) sensory components of your balance system. (The others are your vestibular system and your somatosensory system). The good news is FYZICAL Oklahoma City’s Physical Therapists are excellent in treating balance dysfunction related to vision.
Why is vision important for balance?
Your visual system is responsible for processing your movement and the movement of people and things around you (think cars driving or birds flying, for example). When your eyes and brain are not connecting properly these movements can create a sensation of dizziness and confusion.
When we were children, our vision helped guide our balance and postural stability as we learned to navigate the world. As we age, we can become reliant on our vision, even though it can start to deteriorate just like our muscles and bones. The good news is, a physical therapist who knows balance therapy can challenge and strengthen your vision much like a physical therapist can help you strengthen your muscles and bones.
How does vision help with balance?
The eyes have 2 primary movements related to vision: gaze stabilization and gaze shifting.
Gaze Stabilization in Balance
Gaze Stabilization functions to keep the eyes steady when your head moves. You can shake your head no, but still, keep eye contact with your friend.
When you are unsteady or imbalanced, your physical therapist may notice that you cannot move your head and keep your eyes on the target. When it comes to improving your balance, you need to be able to keep your eyes focused even when your head moves. A good example of this is walking upstairs, you can keep looking at your wife on the top step even though your head gets higher with each step. Stepping off the curb at the restaurant functions the same way.
Gaze Shifting in Balance
Gaze Shifting functions to keep the head steady when your eyes move. Because your eyes move and track, you can watch your grandkids run across the basketball court or soccer field without having to move your head.
Your Oklahoma City balance experts at FYZICAL are trained to identify when you cannot make smooth pursuits. That is when you have to move your head because your eyes do not track; your physical therapist will see that and know what to do. You want to enjoy family time, you want to see your grandkids, and you want to do it without feeling dizzy.
Isn’t it time you called your Oklahoma City Physical Therapists to see what FYZICAL can do for you? CALL FYZICAL
What else causes you to feel off-balance?
Just like one player can’t make a successful sports team, or one actor can’t make a whole show, the visual system isn’t the only component of your balance system. The visual system is a vital contributor to your balance but still needs your vestibular and somatosensory systems to function properly.
Vestibular System in Balance
Your vestibular system is one of your three sensory systems contributing to balance. Your vestibular system is your internal reference for your body’s orientation. The connection between your inner ear (vestibular system) and your brain signals how your head and body are orientated, and how quickly you are moving.
Whether you are walking, running, turning, twisting, jumping, or FALLING, your vestibular system is responsible for orienting your head and body.
If you are feeling like you are moving even if you are standing still, there is a good chance your vestibular or visual systems aren’t firing properly and should see a physical therapist who specializes in vestibular rehabilitation.
Schedule a Free Consultation today.
Somatosensory System in Balance
Your somatosensory system rounds out your three sensory systems contributing to balance. Its main roles are to identify where your body is in space and to react to physical changes in your world. Your somatosensory system helps you move across soft surfaces like sand or wet grass, but it also is responsible for ignoring certain unnecessary stimuli (like your pants touching your leg).
If you have difficulty moving on slick or soft surfaces, it is likely that your somatosensory or visual system isn’t as strong as it used to be. Physical Therapy at FYZICAL Oklahoma City can help get you back on your feet.
Schedule a Free Consultation today.
Muscles, Bones, and Joints in Balance
Your visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems are vital to balance, but we can’t neglect the importance of your muscles, bones, and joints. Healthy muscles are strong and flexible, they allow your joints to work properly and they keep your bones together.
If your muscles, bones, and joints aren’t strong enough to keep you upright, your sensory systems won’t matter. The good news is that a physical therapist can help you work on your muscles, bones, and joints at the same time you are working on your sensory components of balance.
You just need to get started with an evaluation, today!
Treatment for vision deficits in balance
At times it can be challenging to find a physical therapist who treats balance therapy and vestibular dysfunction, but that is not the case in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City physical therapists at FYZICAL have specialized vestibular rehabilitation training focused on reducing your dizziness and retraining your balance.
FYZICAL Oklahoma City’s physical therapists utilize state-of-the-art machines to develop a treatment plan specific to your deficits. Your treatment plan will involve safely, challenging both your physical and sensory components of balance. These challenges will help simulate what it is like when you are out in the community. They will help get you back to doing what you love, like safely walking out of the restaurant or watching your grandkids' ball games.
See what we can do for you today! Contact us today so we can help lead you to a healthier and more balanced life.
-FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City
