Taken for Granted
Countless things are taken for granted. People, lifestyle, living conditions, health, and the simple abilities to see, hear, taste, feel, and even walk... things we learned very young growing up. Walking... the unconscious ability to stand up and move from one place to another without without giving it a second thought. No thought at all.
Walking... the ability go move about, and maintaining balance while doing it. Talk about taking something for granted. Walking with balance.
Walking... the ability go move about, and maintaining balance while doing it. Talk about taking something for granted. Walking with balance.
Now the taking away part.
Things that affect your balance and ability to move about.
Your eyes... Constantly providing input to the brain essential for balance. Any sight issues send the wrong messages to the brain. And if you get conflicting balance messages, you constantly think of every step.
Your feet & toes... again sending messages to the brain to maintain balance. If nerve damage has occurred, the feeling/sense is partially lost... feeling of leaning forward
adds to the balance issues. Before you realize it, you are leaning forward or backward requiring constant conscious thought to correct.
Hip & back alignment... after both knees and one hip replaced, I find that my right leg is 1 inch shorter than my left. Constantly causing me to walk/lean down to the right... affecting my balance.
Issues with the inner ear, crystals get located in the wrong part of the ear canal, sending conflicting balance message issues. From slight to severe, from ocassional to constant, this can drastically affect balance or simply be an annoyance.
Muscle tone/weakness... adds to the inability to maintain or correct imbalance issues.
Hip & back alignment... after both knees and one hip replaced, I find that my right leg is 1 inch shorter than my left. Constantly causing me to walk/lean down to the right... affecting my balance.
Issues with the inner ear, crystals get located in the wrong part of the ear canal, sending conflicting balance message issues. From slight to severe, from ocassional to constant, this can drastically affect balance or simply be an annoyance.
Muscle tone/weakness... adds to the inability to maintain or correct imbalance issues.
Then there's whatever issues, great or small, that affect the brain after a minor stroke. Messages from all input sources are not interpreted with the accuracy or speed as before... Creating balance issues and the ability to correct.
Now... put all these issues in different intensities and varying times together and you will be almost constantly be think of every step you take.
Things taken for granted... now looming with great importance.
Balance... Near falls... and falling to the ground.
My physical therapist says that any time you loose you balance, even a little, causing to you have to use anything to maintain your balance (a cane, a wall, a chair) ... then technically it considered a fall, even if not to the ground.
He asked, have you fallen in the last 30 days... my reply... every damn day, several times... but not to the ground.
So you see, balance, which is completely taken for granted... is a great concern with aging issues. The almost constant feeling of imbalance and the constant though process to maintain balance and be weary of any potential risk of falling.
He asked, have you fallen in the last 30 days... my reply... every damn day, several times... but not to the ground.
So you see, balance, which is completely taken for granted... is a great concern with aging issues. The almost constant feeling of imbalance and the constant though process to maintain balance and be weary of any potential risk of falling.
