Good feet… good eye?

How true is it that the feet are somewhat connected to the eyes?

What we do know is that it is vision, proprioception and the sensation of the plantar sole that contribute to postural equilibrium.

The goal of a recent study was to see if ocular movement (saccades) could improve the sensation of the foot sole in specific individuals.

Here, 104 women aged 75 years old (average) were studied. 52 of them were selected to perform ocular saccades while 52 performed ocular pursuits.

If it’s true that ocular movement participates in the elaboration of equilibrium strategies, it is also true that saccades offered a bigger payoff.

In the context of Posturology, we focus on the efficiency of the ocular pursuit before we address the saccade. This is because, on a neurodevelopmental level, pursuits are simply more accessible.

The winning strategy, for a better posture, according to posturologists, is to stimulate the feet with a postural insole, which turns on the sensory areas of the brain. The sensory areas connect to the motor areas in order to create optimal recruitment of the muscular chains in order to stand upright as economically as possible.

We also train or retrain ocular movement patterns (pursuits and saccades). To do so, specific exercises are suggested!