Hi All!
I was just looking up some techniques for balance improvement. Can you share with me what worked well for you? Of course yoga is listed at the top but is there something else you were trying? Im walking with the help of nordic walking sticks and I want to start without them; wondering how to start and with what. Please share.
Iwona
Hi
Good to see you have started with some positives 
I only know that yoga was really helpful for me in all sorts of ways... for balance/dizzyness I have also used the anti-seasickness wristbands that you can buy .
Good luck !
I'll be interested too in hearing about any useful techniques. I also struggle with balance, quite severely at times. It's walking or balancing on steps which is most difficult for me ; I know it's been said many times on Headway but I really do look drunk much of the time.........................and never touch the stuff !
I can ride my bike on good days (but problems turning my head to check behind) yet my walking coordination always needs strict concentration & can be exhausting.
So I'm joining with you Iwona in looking for any suggestions. xx
I have just bought a bike with intent only to ride on the track as I worry immensely about being able to turn my head. Traffic is going to be a big no no!
Physio just told me to buy a wobble cushion to sit on for core muscle work when at the PC or table or whatever.
We have a track about two miles away (The Pennine Trail) so we access it by taking the bikes in a friend's van. It's the most heavenly place...........just mile upon mile of wide, quiet lane through open countryside, with no stress and no reason to look behind.
It's ages since I was there so must try to arrange another visit. There's something about uninterrupted cycling in a totally safe area which is so liberating for those of us with mobility issues. It's the nearest thing I'll ever get to flying !! 
By 'track' do you mean an official cycling track Miss Dizzy ?
I started back firstly by being escorted around a local park, then on to some of the tow paths it was quite some time before I rode with traffic again.
It was also a old MTB that is very stable, and well safe, I still use it today to work and back.
Sorry Roger but.................what's an MTB (Motorised bike ? ).
Mountain bike?
Of course !! 
x
well in fairness I can ride motorbikes as well! and some mountain bikes, have powerful electric motors, though they tend to be a) expensive and b) not legal for road use.
We have a 400m track in a local park, used for running or cycling, a skate park and an outdoor gym. It's not very busy and will be safe to get me going.
That's exactly what I do, especially after the kids have gone home for tea ; I go to my local park (2 mins away) and cycle around the whole area (large park) and it's so therapeutic. Only obstacles are dog-walkers but paths are wide enough for everyone !
We also have an outdoor gym ; seems to be a widespread policy now.
xx
which system is damaged?
Balance is.
1) vestibular - motion, equilibrium, spatial orientation
2) vision - sight
3) Proprioceptive - skin, muscles, and joints sensors.
I was helped by the Nerophyos who found my Vestibular system was damaged so I was relying on the other two mainly Vision.
The physos gave me home work/exersizes to do for a few months, for myself it was a dramatic improvement.
don't get me wrong the damage is still there, if I can't compantate so if its dark or on Buses, or gravel paths I can struggle though I rarely fall though I can and do, normally saved my reach and strength
Pardoxly, I have always been able to ride the bikes, and i don't mean pootling I mean riding a MTB full on, plus icesckating with is fine, esculators/travelators/buses not fine!
Hi what kind of exercises?
Bare in mind theses where targeted for the damage I had/have.
But firstly some Hip exercises as I was dragging my leg, ie a zombie shuffle! Still do if tired sometimes.
And star exercises for my vistibular damage.
Stand on one leg and with the other slowly touch the points of a star with the other, started off slowly and with eyes open, moving to closed eyes in time, Always with things I can steady myself since falling is a distinct posiblity.
I found it the Nerophyso very helpful it had a dramatic improvement, don't get me wrong the first few weeks being prodded and poked by the student I didn't have high hopes, at one point she had me standing In between the balance bars and standing on one leg while she threw soft balls at me....
But once they had identified it worked quite quickly.
The star touching points - yes! Excellent for brain rewiring. Highly recommend doing it very slowly in silence with no hard furniture around and some fresh air in the room. Temperature and frustration can get hot/high quickly when you are learning this stuff.
I was shown a technique of doing lunges around the clock. One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock etc. All the way around to twelve o'clock. Sometimes I'd get to 5 and forget how to lunge! LoL I made myself start again at one o'clock. completing one clock was my first goal. Then two clocks, then clockwise, anticlockwise. then eyes closed with leg going forwards and eyes open with leg going back, then eyes closed when going forwards and back. All extremely challenging for rewiring.
Repetition is the key! Remember hop scotch in the playground? Pretend its a game. Make it fun, then you want to do it again!
Best
Hi Roger, i googled star exercise and got multiple results. Is that the one where you are standing and have hands in front of you and the star is drawn on the floor? I had a rehab for my cervical spine problems and the physio guy suggested xbox ( game where you need to balance yourself to gather points) and massage and just simple arms moving. I have been told there is a good rehab centre near Walton. Have you heard about that?
pritty much yes, this is it and also where I went.
hrch.nhs.uk/our-services/se...
Balance tab - 007 Star excultions
Walton on thames? sorry don't know the service but its out of my NHS area and the Neuro rebab is the only service I've had.
the Physo did suggest wii fit, though in the end i responded so well, much to my pleasure and surprise and hers, I think they often got older stroke types rather than athletic types like my self
Walton hospital in Liverpool is considered a centre of excellence in neurological disorders.
Salford Royal hospital where I was treated and where my ex-husband went 6 months later, also with a SAH, wanted to send my ex-husband to Walton for intensive rehab but his wife wouldn't allow it, very much to his detriment.
My husband was told by doctor in Warrington that if I come over he will give me referal to this centre. Im not sure I need it as most of doctors tell me here to get used to my symptoms. Does it realy help if you do not need a major improvement?
It has a great reputation for rehabilitation, so much so that there have been televised programmes about its successes.
Naturally, there are limits to how much improvement we can achieve. I know, for instance, that my potential is at its maximum as the damage done cannot be reversed, only managed.
I'm seeing a neurologist at Salford Royal hospital on Monday for advice on my symptoms. But I suspect that the most I'll receive is possibly a scan and some reassurance ?? xx
See this is my problem. All 3 systems took a hit as part of a brainstem stroke. I am numb down my right side which screws feedback, have physio'd my way back from non functional vision to being good enough to drive but a long way from perfect and have little right and no left side vestibular at all!
It's fun and games and requires significant attention to visual and core work to maintain function. I have night lights in all areas of the house. Beaches, cobbles and gravel are very very hard work. I stumble when tired due to delayed feedback more than anything else and got to the point after illness this winter of being quite immobile again.
I didn't realise mobility was going to be a never ending job! Iv'e just bought a bike to see if I can get my high point higher so the lows are not so low .. We'll see.
As Roger says balance is a very complex thing and you can include hearing in that list.
Many of the exercises I was given by my neuro physiotherapist have been put together in a booklet for MS. My physiotherapist took great pains to reassure me that she only gave me these copies to work with because they were the clearest and easiest to understand.
Always have something close for support (or to topple into).
Stand up and sit down and repeat this. Best done on a chair at a kitchen table. If possible use a mirror to check and see if you are wobbling . Repeat 10 times if you can or do as many as you can and build up to 10.
If you find that easy then try it with your eyes closed .
Love n hugs
Xoxo
And this last paragraph took me about 6 months ! LOL You think you have it, then .... you close your eyes.... completely different ball game / part of the brain! I used to practice closing eyes during my 15 min nightly walks before bed. I would close my eyes along the pavement for a few steps while walking normally. I would get sea sick. YUK. But I eventually trained my brain to accept it, work with it and control it. Then I tried again doing stand up sit down, then faster. Never liked it but made myself do it as I could see myself getting better. It also impacted on improving my proprioception and tinnitus. I also used the technique of eyes wide open, walk along a tightrope (arms out both sides) on the kitchen floor. One foot tightly in front of the other, eyes dead ahead. I would do it to the kettle and then back to the bin! Practicing every day! For around 6 months, it took, for me to be able to think about yoga balancing. More a case of disconnecting imbalance from the sick feeling in the stomach, that's a major step.
Eyes closed is not 'easy' for anyone over about 30. I don't do eyes closed 
Hi Iwona,
I didn't have any trouble with balance but I now have trouble with heights, not good when your a builder. Balancing on joists and roofs I now find difficult but before could walk over them like a monkey. Positive its the brain injury as I was fine before.
All I've done to help is face my fears and keep trying its getting better but its not perfect.
Have a good evening. Nick Xx
Hi Iwona
I have been doing vestibular rehab with a neurophysio for a couple of years. It involves looking at a spot and moving my head. It does make me feel quiet unwell - sick - but the aim is to get my eyes, balance in m ears and brain working together. Turning my head makes me feel sick and swimmy. I think once this is sorted I can start to work on balance and co ordination.
I hope you find something that works.
Best wishes
Blim
Hi, it could be a good idea to consult a physiotherapist who can thoroughly assess your static (standing) and dynamic (moving) balance without your walking sticks as the physio can assess in a safe environment (in case you lose your balance) and make recommendations specifically for you. Are you currently walking with two walking sticks indoors and outdoors? Have you had any falls? Do you feel confident enough without them? Just a few things to consider in the meantime. Sorry, I cannot give any other suggestions... xx
Hi Clara. Im using sticks only outdoors. At home im good; i can always touch the wall or a furniture if i feel unsecured. Outside is a different story. When i walk and i know my path i can go without stick but always with someone close to me. The worst are the new places where i dont know how things are and shops! Doing shopping is a nightmare; I always get dizzy and wobbly when i turn my head too quick. I never fell though but im not confident without my sticks. Before I was using just one but people were staring at me so i thought if i use two i will rather look like a nordic walking fun than a cripple
It's good news that you are mostly ok indoors without your sticks. However, as you say being outdoors is the concern. Sounds like you definately need a purpose built walking stick when outside to walk confidently. It is a pity that people were staring at you at such times. Were you walking with one nordic ski stock then? If so, that could have encouraged unwelcome attention as it is quite an obscure walking aid on it's own as it is for use on bush walks/ski slopes. Is there are a rehab equipment hire shop that you can visit with a friend? There you can trial a decent walking stick with guidance from the staff in choosing the best fit for you, before you committing to it. 😀
Hi Iwona,
Not much advice to give on balance - still working on mine ! I just keep walking in private without stick for practice. Heel to toe, backwards and forwards etc. A word about sticks, though. I have had to go back to using my old faithful, although I managed 2 1/2 years stick free before this relapse. Bit of a love/hate relationship with this at first - massive resentment that I needed it again ! Yes, it does announce to passers by that you have a problem but can actually work in your favour. Often, people step aside and give me extra room to move in a crowded space, hold doors open ( I can manage some but can get 'trapped' in the heavier ones lol ! ) and offer for me to go ahead of them in busy areas. All very helpful to my mobility : ) My stick is very basic - lightweight, folding, height adjustable, plain black ( you can get all kinds of nice trendy colours and patterns, these days )and has a rather scraped 'well used' ( well loved ) appearance by now. I decided that since it had become a necessary part of everyday life again I might as well make friends and personalise it ! So it currently sports 2 pretty loveheart keyrings from nice places I have visited and a pink fabric flower with 'Mum' on, from my son on Mother's Day. This probably tells people a lot about my personality, how comfortable I am with my extra 'limb' ( as I think of my stick ) and relaxed about my condition in general. I often change the dangly keyrings at special times - festive ones at Christmas etc : ) I like that I only need the one stick as it frees up my other arm/hand. Some people will always look twice at the 'unusual', let them look : they have not been through what we have and are not living with our conditions ! At least we are being sensible and keeping it safe for ourselves and those around us : ) x
I used to do the really basic exercises or could you call them techniques:
Practice standing upright: I was told that when I stood up I leaned forward. They put a mirror alongside me and yes I did! so I used to spend time making sure I knew I was upright.
Head and eyes level: When siting and moving, try and keep the head and eyes level
arm trailing; apparently this good and bad again I didn't realise I was doing it until I was told. When I was walking I had my left arm outstretched to the side and I used to run along the furniture or walls. For me it was a subconscious, my brain was using it to judge distances from objects.
Heal to toe walking like you were walking on a line
Balancing on one leg
Walking on the spot
Up and down a step stool which I found really hard because there was nothing around as a point of reference
Hi Iwona,
I sometimes do some basic Tai chi excersises. There is one where you walk as if you are a tiger hunting it's prey. Tai chi is all done in soft, swift, slow movements and actually works more muscles.
I also do certain stretches on my legs and I find this can help ever so slightly :).
Take care,
MJ
Can you recommend any website with tai chi movements you found useful?
Hi,
I only really found out more about Tai chi at my other disabled group. They have speakers there sometimes and they have had people talking and showing Tai chi exercises.
I do the tiger hunting as I was shown and I have had a look on the internet for more exercises. I haven't found the Tiger hunting exercise but I have found other exercises that even I might try out at some point.
medicalalertsystemshq.com/f...
That is just one of the websites but you should be able to find more on the internet, good ole Google and even You tube helps out a lot too.
There is a wealth of knowledge to be had across the internet. People could actually find out quite a lot of information about a lot of things, more than their doctors tell them about certain things.
Say with my brain injury. I had hydrocephalus and thanks to my shunt I don't it any more, unless the shunt were to malfunction but back in 1996 when I was told I needed one, the doctors just called it a 'blockage in the brain'. There was no actual term for it back then.
I found out myself by doing my own research about hydrocephalus awhich is the correct term for the blockage and my Headway have increases my knowledge further of hydrocephalus.
Hi Iwona,
I just found this clip of the tiger-like exercise I was on about.
In the video, it is nothing like a tiger sneaking up onit's prey but when this lady came to my disabled club and explained a bit about Tai chi and showed off some exercises, this was one of them and she described it like a tiger :).
I think it is because the movements are all slow like I was saying before and this is how Tai chi can be much better for you than doing standard bicep curls and sit ups and so on.
It is very testing on my balance to perform the walk slowly and to also position the feet correctly but at the end of the workout, I certainly feel the sweat :).
Take care,
MJ
Thanks Matt, this is great! Im definitely trying this!
Actually seeing this exercise or style once again has reminded me of when I used to have physiotherapy years ago. One of the exercises I did was to walk but striking my heel to the floor first, then my toes. This was testing on my balance.
After I had the Tai chi speaker at my other club, I did the exercises slightly different, I would put my toes to the floor first then heels as this was a bit easier for me and also it was quieter, I felt like I was sneaking more like a tiger :).
I tryed doing the walk with heel strikes but I cannot do them as gracefully as Tai chi teaches you. I guess it is something to work up to but I did work up a bit of a sweat though :).
Are you seeing service to help your walking? Really sounds like you should be.
Hi Roger. I dont because doctors say I dont have a problem. Apparently i have no damages after brain injury which is hard to beleive but they all say the same. That it is in my head and all the balance numbness problem is due to stress. I get that part may be but not all. So thats why Im looking for a solution myself
at lot of the services you can self refure.
The nerophyso made it very clear that i should contact her should i need help again.
Have you not seen a neuro physio? Core muscle strength so Pilates and yoga are key but you do need targeted exercises. Particularly if your vision is part of it. X
Hi Iwona
Jules here.
You have had lots of replies, so my adding probably will not help, but you never know.
I progressed from zimmer to crutches to walking stick over a period of about 4 months.
I had a broken ankle at the time also which clouded things for quite a while regarding if i had balance problems.
I dont know what caused your problems, but mine was head and spinal - it took me a good couple of years to realise where my balance problems lay. It took the 2 years to master walking 'normally'. as possible during that time my body just learnt naturally (with some help from physio) how to compensate as best it could for the changes in posture and balance.
I saw another physio last year and this one was a muscle skeletal physio. He showed me how using a laser pen (in a room with flat floors) and simply following it slowly brings your attention to where your problems start (you are supposed to do it in front of a mirror).
Another one was/is a 'balance board'. Quite cheap to buy and really puts you through your paces, but i wouldn't have attempted it any earlier in my recovery, it would have been too demanding on my spine and a fall would have been likely.
I have problems with curbs and different level walking areas, like stairs - i cant get gauge the distance the step is away, without studying it - i mix levels up and miss sometimes but not often these days as i dont really go out now.
I dont know if you have a partner or friend nearby, i found it necessary to have someone near to hold on to whilst i did my balance exercises - it also gave me confidence to push further to see exactly what i could do.
I dont do balance exercises anymore because i got to the situation where i knew the neurological problems wouldn't improve further.
Hope you do far better than me. Thank you for your post - it brought back some memories to me which reminded me how far i have come
Kind regards
Jules
x
Hi Iwona
These things have helped me with regaining my balance and build up my general fitness.
1) Daily practice - whether this is yoga or stretching exercises. Keeping a log so that you can see how far you have come and varying my workout helped me with improving my general strength and balance overall.
a) Yoga - these are my favourites:
- tree pose and dancer pose are good for focus and stillness
- Several rounds of the sun salutation - nice flow and helps with developing overall strength
b) dancing - fun and tests your balance and coordination skills.
c) swimming - as the water supports your body you can develop good all round strength.
d) jog/run - on a treadmill to build strength and stamina. Then vary with different inclines/declines and terrain. Good trainers help. Take your time to find ones that fit well and offer good support.
e) cycle - if you are unsure about cycling outside. I found using indoor bikes, progressing on to a spin bike was very useful for developing my legs and core strength.
2) Going slow - there is a beauty in going slow. You get a better sense of the different textures and levels.Having been on a crutch and sling and walking in the rain and woods, I've learnt that you can sense more subtle changes when you are taking your time.
3) Be gentle in your practice - you will have good and bad days, so even if this means going back to square one or taking a rest day, this is really important.
4) Breathing exercises
I like the 4-7-8 technique
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
-Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
- This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
5) Posture - all the above will help with improving posture and core strength. If you are feeling tired and feel that your posture/back is slumping, try getting fresh air, stretching or do something relaxing to straighten out your back and relax your shoulders.
Good luck with finding your balance.
May
Hi, i realize my balance is worse when i get emotional. Each time im stressed my heart goes fast and i start to feel weak and like i will collapse. Im worried this will happen when im out without the sticks. Thats one reason im using them.
just to share
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Balance problems!
