Hello and welcome to my blog.
This is Part 2 of the vertigo blog. If you missed Part1 you can read it here
In this article I will give simple tests for your balance, explain why you may lose your balance, especially in the dark. And, how Kinesiology can help with coping and recovering from vertigo.
A simple test you can do for yourself to check your own balance is:
Stand on one leg. Count slowly to 10. Can you do this easily? Do you wobble or even fall over
Repeat on the other leg.
Stand on one leg. This time close your eyes. Count slowly to 10. For many people this is where the balance issue shows up and they fall over.
Repeat on the other leg.
Walk heel to toe with eyes open. Can you do this easily? Do you wobble or fall?
Walk heel to toe with eyes closed. Once again if you could do this easily with your eyes open you may have difficulty with your eyes closed.
(There are other tests that are done by a neurologist to determine which of the three types of vertigo that you may have. These are beyond the scope of this article).
As simple as these tests are, they easily highlight a problem with the inner ear vestibular apparatus. People are often surprised that they have difficulty with either test with eyes closed. You may also consider; is it any wonder that we feel unsteady on our feet, first thing in the morning, when it is dark? Or maybe just feeling a bit disorientated in the dark.
These two assessments test a different aspect of your balance. The first is your static balance. The second, your dynamic (when you are moving) balance. Each type of balance is governed by a slightly different piece of vestibular apparatus of the inner ear.
The reason why you lose your balance with your eyes closed or even in the dark, is because your vestibular system creates an internal horizon so that your body knows exactly where it is. If your vestibular system has become disturbed then your internal horizon will not be level. i.e. it will be tilted.
Your eyes can see the horizon. They can see how level you are. When you close your eyes this compensation is lost. Your nervous system now thinks the horizon is at a slight tilt so it automatically adjusts your muscle tone to put you into what it thinks is the correct position so that you do not fall over. Unfortunately you now lose your balance because you are in the wrong position.
What can we do about this? As always, medical attention and examination is the first port of call. Even if your vertigo is temporary and you make a full recovery there could still be an underlying infection or issue that needs to be identified and attended to.
Kinesiology is about balancing the various systems of the body to ensure that energy and information are flowing optimally. In this state your body will have a far better chance of healing itself than when it is in constant distress.
I love the cobweb analogy. When you poke your finger into a cobweb, the whole web distorts to stop the point of impact from breaking. The same thing happens to us when we are distressed, injured or ill. We distort. If you sprain your ankle, your whole body symmetry has to change to compensate for the injury. When we get ill, our immune system activates, but our other systems (such as digestion and reproduction) are toned down. The energy from those systems is then used by the immune system to help fight the infection.
So this is why, when you are in a Kinesiology session, the protocol may go in a seemingly unrelated direction to your ailment. This unrelated direction is quite often resetting the compensations caused by the ailment so you get more energy to heal.
In regard to head injuries and vertigo, I have found that the symptoms of vertigo also respond favourably to treating the head injury. It seems to reset the mechanisms of balance.
Balancing the emotional and energetic states can help release the anxiety and emotional stress caused by vertigo, and also help re-energise the pathways in the brain for better recovery.
My name is Martin Carson. I am a Professional Kinesiologist with more than 10 years experience .I am passionate about help people recover from these injuries.
If you have suffered a blow to the head or are a parent of a child involved in contact sports and you are concerned about ongoing effects, then please contact me for more information.