NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

BALANCE AND DIFFICULTY WALKING

There are many different disorders and conditions that can contribute to difficulty with walking. Walking requires an incredibly complex interaction between the nervous system, muscles, and posture of the body. Without these components, your ability to walk is compromised.

Many people do not realize how badly compromised their balance is or their limitations with walking, until they are quite degraded. It is often the fall, trip, or loss of balance that is the wake-up call to poor balance. In addition, the loss of being able to walk distances is a clear indicator that the balance and walking mechanisms are disrupted. Walking not only requires good balance, but the ability to know where your joints are in space (proprioception), and the ability to know how your joints are moving (kinesthesia), as well as a good range of motion and strength.

As we age, with declining activity, or after an injury, walking and balancing can become difficult. With previous injuries, pain, or neurological disorders, our walking patterns can also change. When walking patterns change, abnormal stresses and strains with everyday activities can be transmitted to areas they shouldn’t. For example, if you have knee pain and you begin to limp, the opposite hip and your spine now have to take double the weight. This can lead to pain and dysfunction in those areas. The good news is that if you have difficulty walking, you can be helped. Physical therapists in Mayfield Heights, OH are the experts uniquely trained to do so.

HOW THERAPY HELPS

One of the main specialties of physical therapy is helping people to walk normally. This takes a thorough evaluation of your walking patterns, posture, range of motion, strength, balance, and coordination. Through this analysis, a treatment plan is then developed that will address your range of motion, pain, coordination, balance, and strength. The end result is the ability to walk without the need of an assistive device such as a cane or walker, safely and smoothly. In cases with progressive diseases such as ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, or Parkinson’s Disease, physical therapy is critical to maintaining function, independence, and walking as long as possible. If your balance or walking is not what it used to be, Contact us at our Mayfield Heights, OH clinic to discover how our physical therapist can help you walk better!

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