Simple Balancing Exercises to Help You

Exercising is important to my current life, after three major back surgeries and some severe nerve damage regaining my balance and learning to walk again has become a daily goal. Originally, I used basic Tai Chi or Muy Thai exercises, however I soon found that with the spinal injuries it was important to change this regimen to fit a more sedentary lifestyle and still attempt to maintain my balance and shape.

Stretching, as with all exercises it is important to stretch. If you suffer from an injury, normal stretches may not be possible. Sit on a chair, stretch your arms in front of you, and gently twist from side to side. Standing stretches can be accomplished by using one hand free and another holding a chair back or wall. Attempt to stretch your arms and legs without bending at the waist. Do simple leg lifts as well which can and will assist in regaining your balance and helping maintain what you already have. With a hand on the chair back or wall, raise up on your toes, you may have difficulty doing this at first however, with practice it becomes easier and soon will feel normal. It is not always necessary to push to hard; obviously, you want to push enough to move ahead, however not too much to hurt yourself more. Next, you can work on posture, which improves your balance and actually aids in digestion as well. Sitting on the straight back chair, straighten your spine until it matches the back of the chair (as close as you can get). Do a few more leg lifts, start with your feet flat on the floor, with your spine straight and chest "puffed out" a bit raise your heels off the floor with your toes. Hold them in this position for a ten count and repeat a minimum of ten times. Next, you can work on standing; at times for me this is the hardest exercise I can do. Merely standing (for the balance challenged) can be a real chore. Sitting on the straight back chair, place your arms extended from your sides, hold firmly to the back of a second chair in front of you, and slowly stand up. Doing this quickly defeats the purpose of increased balance. Push off from the sitting position with your legs; use your arms only as a last resort if you feel your balance giving out. Do this a minimum of five times. Next, we can work on simple balance exercises, these you can use the chairs, a counter or wall. I personally prefer the chairs as it allows more freedom of movement and a wider area to work in. Place the chairs with backs facing in to your sides. Place your hands on these backs and began extending onto your toes again, raise your heel and remove one hand from a chair back, stay on your toes. Keep this position for as long as you are able. If you alternate arms eventually (the timing should always be what you are comfortable with) you can do this exercise without hands. Do the same thing but raise your toes, this you will find is much more difficult for most people, after our body uses all our toes as natural balance points. Repeat the same steps and you will notice your balance begins to increase and you feel better walking.

The ultimate goal here is to be able to walk, sit, or stand without it being a possible disaster. Falling over is not fun and to be honest it is something I have personally done more times than I can count. However if you are able to balance and work with these exercises you can and will eventually be able to walk as I do without a cane, even though I currently have 90% nerve damage which results in almost total loss of feeling in my left leg. Remember your health is up to you, only you can decide if you want to get better.