0:00

we're dealing with with overwhelming challenges

0:02

prices are rising at the pharmacy,

0:04

the grocery store and gas pump

0:06

on top of that, people are being forced

0:08

dip into their retirement savings aarp

0:11

is inviting voters, 50-plus

0:13

to share their voices and views about what

0:15

they need to thrive in ohio join

0:18

us july 26th columbus

0:20

for the aarp deciding voices,

0:22

listening tour space is limited, visit

0:24

aarp.org, oh,

0:27

boats to register today

0:31

this is a cbc podcast

0:37

hi i'm doctor brian golden welcome to the dose

0:40

get , for a moment moment

0:43

months ago i fell hard running

0:45

and broke a bone in my spine i didn't

0:47

need surgery but i didn't he physiotherapy

0:50

one of the things my p things did was

0:52

had me walk he'll to tell his

0:55

if to was on was tight rope and i couldn't

0:57

do it

0:58

here i was and otherwise average guy

1:00

who runs every other day and my balance

1:03

was awful it turns

1:05

are not alone and that's why we're

1:07

asking this week why is it important to maintain

1:09

my sense of balance as i age hi

1:12

lisa welcome to the dos

1:14

brian my pleasure so

1:16

how's your balance my balance

1:18

is not too bad

1:21

in spite of my age your

1:23

work on it

1:24

are you actually i am i

1:26

attend polities classes the couple of

1:28

times a week that helps me

1:30

stay strong and helps my our

1:33

postural support muscles sand

1:35

makes me do things

1:36

they otherwise probably wouldn't you on

1:38

my

1:39

can i ask you to give us a hi my name

1:41

is tell us what you do and where you do it just

1:43

add

1:45

there are hi my name

1:47

is lisa harford and i am a physical

1:49

therapist i work in high

1:51

performance sports at the canadian

1:54

sport institute in calgary

1:56

and i also have a general practice

1:59

at group twenty

1:59

three sports medicine

2:01

okay here we go lisa balance

2:04

almost seems under appreciated

2:06

and fitness but why is it so important

2:08

to overall health

2:09

while you're balance is accumulation

2:13

of so much of your

2:15

body all working together it's your

2:18

signal being sent from your

2:20

muscle than your tendons and your joints

2:22

up to your brain to say this

2:24

is where we are in space and your brain reaction

2:27

to okay well then we need to

2:29

make some adjustments whether they're major

2:31

or minor to keep you up

2:33

right and opposing gravity or assuming

2:35

that that's actually where you want to be in space

2:38

lisa i don't think i'm going to be in space anytime

2:40

soon so so i'd

2:42

i'd definitely a prisoner of gravity out of i

2:44

don't know about yeah well , of

2:46

the people i work with our

2:48

athletes that

2:49

like freestyle of out

2:52

sports and so they have

2:54

they have a different appreciation for

2:56

what balance is because

2:58

they're not always touching the ground i

3:01

smell mean now yeah

3:03

so let's talk before we get to elite athletes

3:06

are let's start with ordinary people at what

3:08

age do we start to lose or balanced the

3:11

research showing that after our

3:13

fish decade so in our fifties

3:15

we start to lose our balance

3:17

as a general ability

3:20

, is that i

3:22

think it's a combination of we

3:24

don't challenge our balance as

3:26

much when were younger

3:28

and when were children were doing things

3:31

that are novel and are more likely

3:33

to lambast head

3:35

over tea kettle certificates and so

3:37

i think that when we're older weird a little

3:40

wiser and the kind of see

3:42

things as as a potential danger

3:44

second don't use it you can lose it sort of thing

3:47

so there's what we call balance is made up

3:49

of several components

3:51

definitely that the main purpose

3:53

of balance is to keep

3:55

your eyes level with the horizon the

3:58

entire than year and had

3:59

they operate and

4:02

you that's how your brain wants to

4:04

process

4:05

the information in order to do that

4:07

then there's the similar okcular reflex

4:10

in your bus typically system so that your inner

4:12

ear sending signals

4:15

to say

4:16

if you know where you are in

4:18

space whether you're moving and face

4:20

whether you're not living in space they

4:23

are tested one way or the other but

4:25

it doesn't work in isolation because you're

4:27

also getting signal from your eyes

4:29

so you identify two senses you need to

4:31

know balance need to know you need to have

4:34

vision and christie who lose their

4:36

vision as they get older so they had cataract that's

4:38

going to affect their affect their to stand

4:40

upright yes so anything

4:42

that becomes an issue with your vision

4:44

san creates a challenge for your ballot

4:48

lisa yeah there's a third a

4:50

sense that's important and and you know that

4:52

you know the fancy term is proprioception

4:54

that's what we call us what you and i couldn't but what does

4:56

that mean

4:57

you put

4:58

reception a year ability to know

5:00

where one

5:01

the part is with relation to

5:04

the other

5:05

and as you have sensitive sensors

5:07

and your muscle the senses and your tendons

5:09

and in your joints that single

5:12

signal that your brain saying this

5:14

is where we are and back and get

5:16

kind of thrown a ski when you've had an injury

5:19

what are some of the most common conditions

5:22

that you have to deal with that lead

5:24

older people to lose their sense of balance

5:27

i mean one at one of the the very

5:30

common ones it's just that we don't

5:32

we don't use their are system that

5:34

we don't challenge our systems so a

5:37

third a funny story and i don't like my head

5:38

i'm truly appreciate him being called

5:41

an older person but he isn't ancestry so

5:43

he went

5:43

refereeing a lacrosse game recently

5:46

and he got knocked over

5:48

by one of the players needed players did a bit of a

5:50

role and

5:51

that right and then he was like whoa

5:54

felt a little bit off just for a second he

5:56

didn't hit his head but he hasn't

5:58

challenge to the state

5:59

killer system think his inner ear

6:02

and a reflex with his eyes

6:04

in any way shape or form and a couple

6:07

years and that was a big challenge but he recovered

6:09

in seconds and and was fine so

6:12

sometimes it's not having a challenge not

6:14

doing enough puts us in a bit of a deficit

6:17

but then the other part is that people have injuries

6:20

that they recovered from

6:22

the extent they are functional

6:25

if you are

6:25

exposed to that challenge you don't know

6:28

that you're actually in the deficit and then edo

6:29

work on it and you actually need to work on

6:32

we're going to talk about how to work on it and just a moment

6:34

but i was really curious about

6:36

a study that i think you've heard of and

6:39

in that study which was

6:41

released prematurely was the one that was

6:44

published in the a british

6:46

journal of sports medicine researchers

6:49

tested balance by having people standing

6:51

on one leg and i wanted to ask

6:53

you how well does that test your balance

6:55

my pick up that

6:57

very fair

6:58

hasta balance because the challenges

7:01

all of the system all at the

7:03

same time which is what your body have

7:05

to do every day just to get around

7:07

so in

7:09

the study they had to be able to stand on

7:11

one leg for ten seconds what happens

7:14

is people who are unable to do that or

7:16

what are they a risk of that there be

7:18

at a higher risk

7:19

so far reaches

7:21

the certain kind of no brainer answer to that

7:23

question in the sense that you know say

7:26

have to if they do slip or

7:28

trip they're writing reactions

7:31

are a little bit slower and they're more likely

7:33

to take a tumble rather than just an

7:35

embarrassing little trip of

7:37

maneuver that the rest of us would just pretend

7:39

the happen i'm at the other thing is that

7:41

it's a sign that there maybe not being have access

7:44

because if you're not if you don't get out and

7:46

about if you're just sitting on your couch

7:48

and watching canada got

7:50

talent

7:51

then you're not

7:54

gonna get the benefits cardiovascular

7:56

least you're not going to get the benefits was

7:58

from was response tory are certainly perspective

8:01

and south your general house

8:03

the would have indicated in the fact that you

8:05

aren't using that systems

8:07

that quick and dirty

8:09

cast it's not a bad chest

8:11

and i can actually help practitioners identify

8:14

that someone who may have had an injury

8:16

or has some new york right us has

8:18

actually been quite him

8:20

acted on a daily

8:22

by that challenge do

8:25

you recommend people try this at home on their own

8:28

the current i think if you have actual

8:30

concerns then you know don't do

8:32

it by yourself but sometimes

8:34

i have my patients who are

8:36

challenge in a balance wage

8:38

stand in a corner you

8:41

know with their back and the owner of a where there's a counter

8:43

top or while

8:45

and then they can put a chair in front of them selves

8:48

and than they can stand on one leg

8:50

and lightly touched the chair

8:52

and take their hands off and see if they can count

8:54

to ten seconds what you're really looking

8:57

for in this test is that people start to wobble

8:59

scheme within eight or nine seconds that they

9:01

can just barely make it a ten seconds that

9:03

means they're probably and from yeah

9:05

definitely say with that i would have some concerns

9:07

about that for shirts and seconds isn't super

9:10

long to , end my

9:12

physical therapist sent me home with balance

9:14

exercises beginning was standing on one

9:16

leg for at least thirty seconds you

9:19

know i got up to three minutes on one

9:21

leg or the other and then she had

9:23

me stand on one leg while turning

9:25

my head to the writer to the last august

9:28

so how the usable is

9:30

it to train everyday people who

9:32

don't do a lot of exercise

9:34

we've had lots of experience

9:36

showing that no matter how

9:39

couldn't they send people might be

9:41

that there's always some room for improvement

9:44

and i think it just depends on where we

9:46

set the bar like the start bar

9:48

and where we set that first goal so

9:50

for some people there were not can ask

9:52

themselves

9:53

themselves over or try to touch the ground

9:55

the one hand and get back up again some

9:58

people with had significant challenges like

10:00

an acoustic neuroma for example

10:03

then even just getting them to be in a safe

10:05

space like the corner

10:07

and sort of hanging on and closing

10:09

their eyes would be quite anxiety

10:12

provoking so i will you know get to gauge

10:15

where you're setting things i like to just have people

10:17

stand on one one foot while they brush

10:19

their teeth do one foot in the morning and once

10:22

that at night the if they could get all

10:24

the way through as simple

10:26

test for joe average

10:28

and and for those listening

10:30

who don't know what an acoustic neuroma is

10:32

that that's a tumor of the brain stem

10:35

that can affect hearing but can also affect

10:38

your balance and

10:41

you offers something called

10:43

vestibule or therapy to

10:45

help someone him feel dizzy say after

10:47

a stroke what is the stabler therapy

10:50

the stimulus care if he we start with

10:53

identifying what the main causes

10:55

of the dizziness

10:58

is and

10:59

people will come in without getting into the nuances

11:02

of vertigo vs dizziness vs

11:05

distilling off sometimes what

11:07

happens then is that that and the

11:09

reflex the off between their

11:11

the stipulates system

11:13

the their inner ear their i

11:15

there must give us the legal system

11:18

and someone who had a stroke

11:20

it can be maybe the brain

11:22

stem itself is involved sometimes

11:25

they're sensation of in

11:27

their limbs is affected

11:29

and sometimes then asked as it's just even they're

11:31

aware the where their body is in space

11:34

sarah so i'm he may have

11:36

to tackle that salad

11:38

from a multifaceted approach

11:42

before you offer vestibule or therapy

11:44

how do you test for that had he decided somebody

11:46

can benefit from that kind of an approach

11:49

we do you do a balance tests

11:52

and air a graduated way so

11:54

we can do once a friend of the other one

11:56

foot off the ground they

11:59

also try to

11:59

into fi whether vision system that's

12:02

the problem and then you do

12:04

tests that are specific for the inner

12:06

ear hurry exactly money

12:08

psychiatrists and holsters crooked media's new

12:10

equipment

12:11

cassie really money state of mind if

12:13

your searches are safe space learn how you

12:15

can

12:15

at your mind right my podcast

12:17

harper prescription each week probably

12:19

the mental illness and mental health is hop

12:22

culture news and my very own experiences

12:24

managing my mental health so take

12:26

a deep that sides are com and get

12:28

into any money state of mind was new episodes

12:30

every friday on the money state of in feed

12:33

you can also listen wherever you get your podcasts

12:38

i want to switch now to professional

12:40

athletes to high performance athletes because i

12:42

know that that ah that's

12:44

that's part of your work and i'm thinking now

12:46

of snowboarders i'm thinking of of

12:48

ski jumpers how do you test

12:51

their balance the balance of elite

12:53

athletes of all kinds of that's very

12:55

hard that's

12:57

why we assume bad the actors

13:00

athletes we tried to

13:02

push the limits and find out how

13:04

almost ridiculous can we make

13:07

the task and the as they can stay

13:09

on it you know sometimes we

13:11

that we also challenge then

13:13

rather non should

13:15

norway's like a give you seem like a flatline

13:17

sort of like a tight rope that's not tight

13:20

and it's a strap it looks like a great big

13:22

fight and strap a dude have on the back of the big

13:24

truck holding furniture down and

13:27

and that people will try them to trees

13:29

and then they walk across from

13:31

band that

13:32

super super super challenge

13:35

is all of your systems

13:37

that help with your balance said

13:39

, athletes what we do what we might change

13:41

the environment that they're actually working

13:44

west or other virtual

13:46

exercises that they're able to do that then can

13:48

translate to the real world

13:50

i i think you can you can use just

13:52

visualization

13:54

and imagine yourself going through

13:56

we have we have a lot of fighting athletes that

13:58

come through calgary so that's your mood

13:59

the spot play and skeleton

14:02

and so they're having to see things

14:04

go through got past them as

14:07

one hundred kilometers an hour and

14:09

they're laying down

14:11

certainly

14:11

the skeleton unleash athletes

14:14

and then they else after the my bracing

14:16

which affects your inner ear and your proprioception

14:19

so that is bridge

14:21

how and jang environment that would be white

14:24

hard to replicate so the best you can do

14:26

with his replicate things virtually

14:30

as best you can visualize and

14:32

best you can does the work

14:34

that the do with professional athletes

14:37

are high performance athletes in

14:39

any way translate for

14:41

the work that you do with people like me who

14:44

are not elite athletes by any sense that

14:46

is stretch of the imagination butter try to stay fit

14:49

one hundred percent because i

14:51

mean it in a in a canadian winter

14:53

a person the who trips a little

14:55

better left on a still

14:57

needs to stick that landing and it

15:00

doesn't matter whether you've had you've had replacements

15:02

are not you don't wanna lands on your

15:05

head though

15:07

oh and balance matters

15:09

everybody

15:11

so let's imagine someone listening to

15:13

us it is just starting to get

15:15

fit how important is it to make balance

15:17

exercise as part of their routine i

15:19

would think that this is just as important

15:22

as thank you get your cardio

15:24

fitness them up to whatever

15:26

your goal is it's just as important

15:29

as whatever calorie you want a bird

15:31

or however much tiny want to spend on

15:33

the treadmill or riding your bike this

15:36

, one hundred percent part

15:38

of your normal fitness

15:40

routine many of us

15:42

sit too much and i'm wondering

15:45

why could improving balance help counter

15:47

that when you're just sitting

15:49

on a chair something that doesn't

15:51

move you can just kind of collapse

15:54

into that and not challenge

15:56

you were nervous system and in

15:58

any way more than what

15:59

if you're reading and whatever you're typing

16:02

though asking everybody to

16:04

react then to the signal to count

16:07

more challenging signal that your brain ascending

16:09

will result in some muscle activation

16:12

and create better health

16:15

and postural support

16:17

the just getting up and walking around or

16:19

it day are you talking about standing desks

16:22

you

16:23

in get up and walk around and take

16:25

breaks you can set on a fifty overall

16:28

you

16:29

the and you shed changers

16:31

your work for this and very regularly

16:33

through the day in a variety of ways you

16:35

can even go for iraq's advocate

16:37

the people actually do some other beatings just

16:40

as a walking needing am and is

16:42

also you could you standing meetings were you

16:44

even you might be on the was the was more

16:46

com and fill

16:48

you mentioned i think you were talking

16:50

about your husband and

16:52

you mentioned in passing rolling

16:55

down a grassy hill wishes of course something

16:57

that kids delight in doing and and

17:00

i can tell you that most grownups don't

17:02

so is that something you might recommend to keep a

17:04

steady are on our feet yeah absolutely

17:07

i think i think just giving it a try

17:09

and seeing like well what's your body

17:11

how your body reacts sort of like doing your

17:13

own more challenging balance

17:16

test

17:16

because you know for some

17:19

the new middle ages with not

17:21

no significant injuries

17:24

are concerned

17:25

you know i think you should be able to do

17:27

forward roll and

17:29

the not feel uncertain

17:32

but some really com and fitness things such

17:34

as yoga or tight

17:37

see require you to do balance

17:39

as part of moving from one space

17:41

to another and it's actually good way to

17:43

do yoga once a week

17:45

that's a good way of kinect building

17:47

that right into your fitness program i

17:50

think just say of thing is even go see

17:52

though he could move your body's different ways

17:55

says literally unlimited

17:57

options and term

17:58

as you can still do

17:59

that it really

18:02

seems like balance

18:04

is one of those use it or

18:06

lose it capabilities assuming

18:09

we don't have a disease affecting our ability

18:11

to stand and walk how easy is it to improve

18:14

your balance with some simple exercises

18:16

oh i think it's really easy i'm

18:19

a lot of our recovery comes just twist

18:22

neuromuscular connection

18:24

so it's just the signals that are going from

18:26

your nervous system to your muscles to

18:29

contract and you should see changes

18:31

within three weeks obvious

18:33

the significant changes within six

18:37

the attic to be quite rewarding and you

18:39

can offer eco challenge your balance

18:40

doing you know even some weekend warrior things

18:42

were

18:43

go out ride your bike and

18:45

maybe do it dirt trail that of

18:48

urban riding or the something

18:50

a little bit out of the ordinary said push

18:52

your body a little bit out of that comfort

18:54

zone the nice thing about doing a single

18:56

leg tested that you can try that and

18:58

you can see your improvements and

19:01

quantify it so that's reward

19:03

it it encourages you to continue doing

19:06

you don't you balance exercises li says

19:08

so what do you do in general

19:10

a do to keep yourself i

19:13

learned a while ago that i was not

19:15

very good at motivating myself to

19:17

do home exercises i

19:20

always found that when things were even

19:22

if i did a video with the thing dot

19:24

hard which was the things like probably needed to

19:26

do the mouse that was the best time to

19:28

go get a drink of water and then when he came back

19:30

that exercise was over

19:33

so i try to go ahead

19:35

least once a week

19:36

do it in person class am right now i'm

19:38

in supply reason that works well

19:41

for me and my party's teacher actually makes

19:43

us to balance things so

19:45

i am i do that because that keeps

19:47

me more honest and i i know

19:49

my own i know that

19:50

i'm a cheater

19:51

but why don't i don't cheat

19:53

and flask is so call me out you know i can

19:56

butter under my breath and then when i leave i'm so glad

19:58

it it won't be said

19:59

fact that you have to be able to demonstrate

20:02

those balance exercises to harass

20:04

tell you that tells me that

20:07

your balance must be pretty good what

20:09

i our respect right before this

20:11

is little thought that goes to my brain and like don't

20:14

embarrass yourself just zones

20:17

embarrassed to the success

20:20

so i had to do a dance tradition

20:22

and tradition had to do like that been and

20:24

i haven't done that since university and

20:27

i was like a of just do at least don't overthink

20:29

it and i did it never like try

20:31

to make sure i went back and told my polities teachers

20:34

that that was all because of her lisa

20:37

harper you're not just a great explainer you're also

20:39

inspiring and inspiring think you've inspired

20:41

me to make sure i keep at it so

20:44

many different ways you can do it you sound

20:46

like a you could enjoy tap tap dancing

20:48

tap dancing wow that

20:51

okay well at least offer thank you

20:53

so much for for sharing your your

20:55

wisdom and and some great tips with us

20:58

thank you very much brian it's the my pleasure

21:00

lisa hartford is a physiotherapist

21:03

with canadian sport institute calgary

21:06

and group twenty three sports medicine here's

21:08

, does smart advice balance

21:10

is crucial for standing also

21:13

essential for survival a

21:15

, published in the british journal of sports

21:17

medicine found that middle aged

21:19

and older people unable to stand on one

21:21

leg for ten seconds seconds

21:23

nearly twice as likely to die within ten

21:25

within adults begin to lose

21:27

their balance in their fifties the reasons

21:30

why include inner ear problems loss

21:32

of vision loss of sensation in the feet

21:34

caused by diabetes strokes

21:36

as well as pain and arthritis in the legs

21:39

being sedentary is also bad for your be

21:42

the good news is it's simple exercise

21:44

can help maintain and even restore your

21:46

balance dry brushing your

21:48

teeth was standing on your right leg each morning

21:51

and on your left leg each night at

21:53

work get up and walk around periodically

21:56

consider holding meetings while standing

21:58

for walking michael

22:00

on flat street adding hills

22:02

is good for your balance for

22:04

, more training try rolling forward

22:06

on a grassy hill yoga tide

22:09

see dancing and gymnastics are

22:11

also great for balance this

22:13

kind of training is as important to your well

22:16

being as cardio the

22:18

good news is that you'll have better balance in

22:20

a matter of weeks the your healthcare

22:22

provider if you're falling frequently without

22:24

a good explanation and if you're falls

22:27

are associated with serious symptoms such

22:29

as loss of vision hearing sensation

22:31

in your legs weakness or pain

22:34

if you're topics you'd like discussed or questions answered

22:37

tweet me at night ship them d f cbc

22:39

podcast or at cbc white coat hashtag

22:42

the dose cdc our ,

22:44

addresses the dose as cbc don't see a

22:47

a can find the dose on the cbc listen app

22:49

or wherever you get your podcasts if

22:51

you like this episode please rate of five

22:53

stars so more people can find out about

22:55

us this edition of the dose

22:57

was produced by ominous offer and senior producer

22:59

colleen ross or sound engineer

23:01

is loud and finale we're

23:03

taking a break this summer, but will be

23:06

in september with new this

23:08

summer will be airing some of our most popular

23:10

episodes on cbc radio, one,

23:12

each thursday evening at 7:30

23:14

p.m the dose wants

23:16

to be better informed about your help if

23:19

you're looking medical advice to your healthcare

23:21

provider about your brian goldman

23:23

until your next dose

23:29

four more cbc podcast, go

23:32

to cbc.ca podcast