We know that exercise isn’t just to help us lose
weight. It is essential to our overall
health. It benefits our heart, lungs,
cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, muscle and bone strength, and even
our sense of well-being to name just a few.
One area most people don’t think about is your nervous system! Did you know that by doing a few simple
exercises you can strengthen your Dorsal
Columns? Let me explain:
The Dorsal Columns are the areas of your nervous system that
control position sense. This is the system that helps you touch your
finger to your nose with your eyes closed.
The medical term for this is proprioception. You use a combination of memory and
proprioception (position sense) every time you drive your car. How else can you look ahead at the road and
still be able to find the pedals at your feet without looking?! When this part of your nervous system is weak
people have a greater problem balancing, have increased incidences of ankle
sprains, and even run into doorframes!
Balance is an important issue, especially as we age, when falls can be
deadly.
Enough about physiology, here’s how to help yourself:
Basic exercise: Stand next to a wall or chair where you can
reach your hand out to steady yourself if necessary. Lift one foot off the floor, balancing on the
other leg. Hold this position. Ten seconds is really good. If you can only do a couple of seconds,
that’s okay; it’s just like any other exercise and will take some time to build
up strength. Try not to rest the foot
you lift on the leg you are balancing on (that’s cheating!). Try working up to 20-30 seconds. This simple exercise not only strengthens
your proprioception (position sense) but also helps strengthen your leg muscles
and the gluteal (butt) muscle that supports your hip while walking.
More Advanced: Once you feel more comfortable with the basic
exercise, try closing your eyes for a few seconds. Remember to have something nearby to help
steady you if you need it. While this
one is more advanced, it is the ultimate goal.
When your eyes are closed you are relying totally on your proprioception
(position sense) and not using visual input for help (which uses another part
of your brain).
Variations: You can strengthen your proprioception and your muscles by making a few changes
to some things you may already be doing for exercise.
*If you do standing leg lifts to
work your outer thighs, try not holding onto something while you do them
(remember to have something nearby, though).
You can also bring your leg back at an angle instead of just to the side
to work more of your gluteal muscles.
*Try not to look at your feet while
performing exercises or walking (if you can do so safely). A bonus here is that this helps your
posture. For a small cheat, look at a mirror
instead of down at your feet!
*Faster isn’t always
necessary. Even I get discouraged
watching “Energizer Bunnies” work out!
Try balancing on one leg and moving your leg in a circle; the wider the
circle the greater the workout. Slow
movements help with stability and control and give a really good workout as
well. Besides, we don’t want to ever
have to call the First Responders!
*Make up any exercise you want that
will force you to balance. Such as
standing on one leg and raising your hands up in the air. Moving around forces your muscles to work
harder and further strengthens your proprioception.
As with any exercise, if you experience pain while
performing any of the above, please stop or try changing what you are doing. Pain is an indicator that something is not
functioning properly. It may indicate
that your muscles and joints need some “tender loving care” to help them
function their best. Remember that
taking care of yourself now will prevent problems in the future!
These are excellent exercises to compliment your workout program,
but you can also do these at home (even while brushing your teeth!). All ages benefit from balance exercises so
don’t forget to help teach a friend, loved one, or child something new to increase
their health.
It can take time to build up strength in your muscles and
your proprioception, so don’t become discouraged. I’ve used these exercises myself and taught
them to my patients. We have seen great
improvements. Just as we have to continue
to exercise our muscles, the same is true for our proprioception.
