Balance and proprioception are important components of any rehab program.
Balance is the ability to control your body’s position, whether stationary (i.e. a complex yoga pose) or while moving (i.e. playing a sport, climbing a ladder, or bending forward to pick an object up off the floor.) As a key component of fitness, strength, endurance, and flexibility, balance is achieved through vision, muscle strength, the vestibular system, mentation, and proprioception. Balance is important for all patients, whether you are an elite athlete or and elderly person with a fall risk.
Proprioception is your body’s conscious capacity to sense its own position, movement, and force. In short, proprioception is the sense of knowing where a body part is in space and is extremely important for quality of movement. Proprioception uses specific nerve receptors to provide your brain feedback. If you close your eyes and bend your elbow, how do you know you have bent your elbow? Answer: proprioception
Physical Therapists at Ortho Rhode Islad utilize many different exercises, activities, and types of equipment to rehabilitate proprioception and balance to achieve maximal functional outcomes.
