Good eye… good feet?

A small percentage of my clientele is older adults. Not so much because they can’t be helped, but most likely because, in some cases, they figure they cannot be helped! Too often, they have been told that if they are dealing with pain or balance issues, it’s because they are old…

While it’s true that the performance of our systems for balance decreases with age, it’s also true that they can be trained and optimized. The goal is not to make a 70 year old a 20 year old. The goal is to make a 70 year old feel strong, confident and stable.

Researchers published in 2016 Active ocular vergence improve postural control in elderly as close viewing distance with or without a single cognitive task.

They wanted to measure the effects of vision and different eye movement patterns on postural control when standing upright. 23 elderly subjects were studied.

Results showed that fixation of a target that is closer to the body versus further increased postural control. In essence, this study demonstrated that there was a beneficial contribution of active vergence eye movements for better postural stability.

Posturology can help in the sense where its purpose is to make the body more resilient to resist gravity. A contribution of Posturology was to include eye movement training in the context where the entire sensory system is assessed and optimized. Feet work with eyes. Eyes work with feet. Posturology covers both of these bodily sensors for optimal results.