Falls
I enjoy reading new research on balance and how to help ourselves get better. Ball catching was found to enhance balance in seniors. The article discusses anticipatory control. When you catch a ball there is a small perturbation that happens right before you catch the ball. The body needs to anticipate by stiffening the muscles in order to catch the ball without falling over. Senior and other patients with neurological issue are not able to anticipate well. This skill can be worked on to improve control.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/287875.php?tw
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )Practice makes Perfect…No Perfect Practice makes Perfect
Here is an article about practicing strokes in tennis and the follow through movement making a difference in learning. Practice and repetition is associated with neural changes in the brain. How we practice makes a big difference. In the patient world and for those with disability BalanceWear can provide the balance control needed to practice correct movement. In some cases patients do not realize what is changing and can not feel the difference. An example I noted recently; a patient with cerebellar degeneration did not really feel the difference BalanceWear made in their walking however other people did. Every time she walked she her feet hit her walker because they were so far out to the side in wide base support. When she was wearing BalanceWear her legs were underneath her and did not hit the side of the walker during gait. She said she falls daily even in her walker. Why? Because she trips herself on the walker. She did not feel the difference with her legs underneath her but she is less likely to trip on the walker. Walking with her legs underneath her with a better base of support for many miles over the next several months should provide improved control as the brain learns more accurate movement.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/287836.php?tw
Testimonial from Thorkild Who has Ataxia
THORKILD ERRITZØE
Generalkonsul
E-mail: thorkild@erritzoe.com
TESTIMONIAL
Personal information
Man born in 1935 in Denmark.
Diagnosis: Cerebellar Ataxia
My sickness started slowly back in 2003.
The following 4 years my gait became increasingly worse and I started having speaking problems – especially in the mornings.
Treatment: absolutely nothing ! The neurologist at the Copenhagen University Hospital told me that there was no cure. It was a progressive sickness and the only hope was that due to my age the sickness would most likely develop slowly over the years.
I had to change my living from a big house with many staircases to a protected apartment. My walking problems became beyond endurance with daily falls and lots of injuries as a consequence.
Finally – spring 2013 I was instructed not to walk at all, and was submitted to a wheelchair. Doctor’s order ! By ordering this the doctors would for any reason avoid further injuries to me by falling.
This enormous change in my life style resulted in serious depression, which lasted about 2 months.
Motion Therapeutics (MT)
In my daily investigations in medical literature and information found on the internet I came across a publication from MT offering a balancewear vest.
The problem was that I had to travel to USA if I wanted a vest. I therefore started a market research within the international medical field in order to get more information about the vest. My sister is a doctor, and she helped me in my investigation.
I was in contact with the neurologists at the Copenhagen University Hospital, the University Hospital in Munich, Germany (professor Thomas Brandt who had diagnosed me), the Ataxia Foundation of Denmark and the Ataxia Foundation of UK.
Unfortunately I only received negative feedback. Many had heard about the balance vest but no one believed in its ability to stabilize these types of balance problems.
Meeting with Cindy Gibson-Horn (CGH) – inventor of the vest
Despite all the bad publicity I had obtained I finally decided to try to get an appointment with CGH in San Francisco. She was most obliging and asked me to have a video taking of my gait and send it to her along with the official diagnosis of my sickness.
In spite of my handicap – SAS and my daughter brought me in my wheelchair to the clinic of CGH in San Francisco. It took place October 2013, and it goes without saying, that Cindy (CGH) really took excellent care of me from the moment I “rolled” into her clinic. My daughter and I were
impressed by the efficiency and professionalism of her performance. After having pushed me around and tried to get me totally out of balance for some time, Cindy said the fantastic and unbelievable words “You don’t have to sit in a wheelchair”.
Cindy then started building up a vest, which would suit me and help me in keeping my balance no matter what kind of exercise I performed. We are not only talking about normal walking but I should also walk backwards and to the sides, pick up things from the floor, reach up for things far beyond my natural height etc.
Having “worked” with me for a couple of hours and placed all kind of weights in my vest on various places on my back, shoulder, stomach and front, Cindy told me that she had finished the job and I could start walking. First I tried within the parallel bars, and here I walked normal without falling to the sides or crossing my feet. Then I asked whether I was allowed to try to walk up and down the hall space ?
“You just try”, Cindy said. For everyone who have seen my gait before such as my daughter, we experienced a miracle. I walked without any problems, and I was even able to look to the sides when walking, which I haven’t been able to do for years.
Having embraced and thanked Cindy for the incomprehensible help I walked out of her clinic – leaving my wheelchair behind.
Upon my return to Denmark I swore that I would do my best in order to arrange that BalanceWear would be introduced to the Scandinavian market in order to help other people with balance problems.
If everything goes according to plan I am happy to announce that as from June 2015
Motion Therapeutics, BalanceWear will be available in all Scandinavian countries.
Wonderful! Not only Scandinavians but also other Europeans will then only have to go to Skodsborg Physiotherapy in Denmark avoiding the long travel to USA. If they are successful most likely MT will also have other representatives appointed in more European countries.
I have deliberately postponed this testimonial for half a year. I suppose that everyone will understand that in the beginning I could hardly believe that all of a sudden I was ”brought back to life”. I am so happy to report that since Cindy put on my vest I have become even better. In my home I am now frequently able to walk without the vest and my handwriting and speech have improved. I am more capable to use my computer, and someone might even claim that my intellectual faculties have improved.
On top of all this I am so happy to report (knock the wood) that I haven’t fallen one single time since Cindy put on my vest.
All in all a SUNSHINE STORY. Apart from what I have stated in this testimonial I am only too glad to receive inquiries from interested people. My mail address is: thorkild@erritzoe.com
FINAL PRAISE to CINDY:
Congratulation Cindy for inventing your simple solution to an extremely complex problem, a mechanical balancing of one biologically very complicated imbalance.
Thorkild Erritzøe
Skodsborg, Denmark – March 16, 2014
Thanks Thorkild!
cindy
International Ataxia Awareness Day
This video link is great. Watch all the videos. They are powerful.
Have a great week. Be safe.
Cindy
Falls and Emotion
Yesterday a gentleman asked why his wife falls when she becomes upset; such as in an argument.
I told him many people have to use all their cognitive resources to stay upright. When they are distracted from concentrating on their balance they fall or stumble.
Do you fall when you are distracted?
I searched on the internet but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for but found this very descriptive article on Cognition, Emotion and the Cerebellum
emohttp://www.ataxia.org/pdf/generations_articles/Cognition,%20Emotion%20and%20Cerebellum_Schmahmann_Summer%2009.pdf
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 3 so far )Balance-Based Torso-Weighting and Fall Reduction in a BalanceMaster
Background
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) fall frequently. Balance-based Torso-weighting (BBTW) can improve gait speed and increase time spent in single-limb support while walking. However, the association between BBTW and falls has not yet been examined in people with MS.
Objectives
Investigate the effects of BBTW on balance and fall frequency recorded by the sensory organization test (SOT) in people with MS.
Methods
51 people with MS and gait and balance difficulties completed the sensory organization test twice in a single session. The first test was completed without weights and the second was completed following the placement of weights on the torso using the BBTW method. Testing lasted 3 to 5 hours and data regarding falls and mobility were collected with and without weights. A mandatory rest break followed each test, and additional breaks were given as needed. In two cases, fatigue resulted in shortened testing. The composite scores of the SOT recorded participants standing for 3 trials each of 6 different conditions. The 6 conditions tested were eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), surround moving (EO), platform moving (EO), platform moving (EC), and platform and surround moving together (EO). The number of falls that occurred in all of these trials were tallied, both with and without weights. A fall was defined as touching the surround, taking a step, or being caught by an overhead harness. Paired t tests compared participants’ composite score and fall occurrence between conditions with alpha set at .05.
Results
A significant change occurred in composite score (CS) from non-weighted to weighted trials, from 50.9 to 60.1. A change of 8 points in the CS is considered significant. Twenty-eight participants (55%) increased their CS by 8 points or more (the most dramatic increase was by 38 points), sixteen participants (31.4%) increased their CS scores by 1-7 points, one participant (2%) had no change, and six participants (11.8%) decreased their score by 2 to 6 points. The occurrence of falls also differed between weighted and non-weighted trials. There were 212 (60.7%) falls in the non-weighted trials and 137 (39.3%) falls in the weighted. No correlation was found between the number of falls and the participants ages.
Conclusion
A significant decline in falls as well as an increase in balance composite score occurred with BBTW (weighted trials) during single testing sessions despite the potential for fatigue. BBTW is a promising intervention that may lead to a decrease in falls when worn by people with MS.
Rehabilitation for Ataxia
In general this is a good artice. It doesn’t get what I do and refered to our article as general weighting. However, the article addresses studies with different neurological diagnoses and the research that was done. Our research in BBTW was only one of three randomized controlled studies..Yea!
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877065714000037
Exercise: Basic and Intermediate Hip Exercise
Hip strength is integral to improving balance during standing or walking activities. Below are exercises to strengthen the hips in two directions: abduction and adduction.
Abduction involves moving the leg outward, away from midline of the body.
Adduction involves moving the leg inward, toward midline of the body.
Basic (Snow Angels)
1. Lay on back with arms at rest on chest or abdomen and head supported with a pillow
2. Perform “snow angel” movement: Move right leg slowly and smoothly away from and then back toward the left leg while keeping legs in full contact with the surface.
3. Perform 3 sets of 10-20 repetitions or until fatigued
4. Repeat on left leg.
5. MODIFICATION: if this exercise is too difficult to perform due to friction of the moving leg on the sliding surface, place a plastic bag under the heel of the moving leg to reduce friction.
Muscles used: inner thigh and outer hip muscles
Intermediate (Clam shells for abduction)
1. Lay on side on a firm surface (floor or firm bed) with knees bent to 90 degrees.
2. Keeping your feet touching, hinge open your top leg about 12 inches without letting your hips fall forward or backward. Your knees will open up like a clam shell does (hence the exercise name).
3. Hold for 1-3 seconds and perform 10-20 repetitions or until fatigued.
4. Lay on other side and repeat
Muscles used: outer hip muscles
Intermediate (Pillow squeezes for adduction)
1. Sit upright on firm surface (chair, bench, etc.) with good posture and feet flat on floor with knees bent to 90 degrees.
2. Place pillow between knees and squeeze that pillow for 3-5 seconds and repeat 10-20 times or until fatigued.
Muscles used: inner thigh muscles
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