Responding to :Joan and Donald Betts ([log in to unmask])
PD, Exercis and Balance
Thank-you for your kind message donald, and thank-you also to Anne
Rutherford for aknowledging my work in such a nice way.
Donald, the types of exercises that hel persons with balance disorders
are a combination of strength and balance training. Yes, the balance
training is a therapy for those sensory systems which are responsible
for the maintenance of balance, the vestibular apparatus, vision, and
the proprioceptors. Balance exercises are as follows:
1. Stand on floor with eyes closed
2. Stand on floor with eyes close, head tilted back
3. Same as #3 with eyes open.
4. Stand on a piece of foam with eyes open, head normal
5. Stand on piece of foam, eyes closed, head normal
6. Stand on piece of foam, eyes closed, head extended (tilted back)
7. Stand on piece of foam, practice leaning forward and bacjwards to
the limit of your stability, with eyes open.
8. Stand on floor, same as #7.
Each exercise should be held for 20 seconds. 5 trials per exercise.
Try this procedure for 10 consecutive days to see an improvement.
All exercises should be performed under SUPERVISION.
Additionally, it would be helpful to exercise the leg muscles with
weights, 3 times per week at 50-80% of a one to four repetition
maximum. I am using Nautilus machines in my study...Leg extension, Leg
flexion, toe raises, and ankle dorsiflexion exercises. Warm-up before
exercising!!!
I will be starting my dissertation study soon. I'm having trouble
finding (recruiting) participants. This is very frustrating, since I
know from my pilot data and reading the literature that my exercise
program will work!
Hope that this info will help.
Mark
You've got to love what's lovable, and hate what's hateable. It takes
brains to see the difference.
--Robert Frost
