As we age, our reflexes become slower and less efficient. These age-related declines affect both the central and peripheral nervous systems. The entire signal chain is slower from sensation to muscle response. There is a process of brain atrophy occurring which reduces its ability to process information and send commands quickly. There are also changes in the neurotransmitters, such as dopamine in the brain. This can also affect motor control. Changes also in the muscles and joints with decreased muscle mass, reduced flexibility due to a change in amount of synovial fluid in the joints, as well as a decline in our proprioception can all affect our balance and equilibrium. All these factors combined can hinder our ability to make quick adjustments when we misstep or start to trip or fall. According to the CDC, falls are a leading cause of injury-related death in older adults, and even non-fatal falls significantly decrease mobility, quality of life, and increase the risk of premature death.
Needless to say, we must be proactive in our exercise and movement home practice routines to include fall prevention in our weekly routines. Practicing losing our balance and training our nervous system to quickly respond to recovering balance is imperative to maintaining our health and wellness. The Feldenkrais Method ® is one of the best modalities for addressing these issues. We have a vast repertoire of lessons devoted to increasing our kinesthetic awareness and proprioception for recovering our balance. Ruthy Alon’s Movement Intelligence™ Programs are also an excellent resource for providing strategies for testing and then recovering our balance and equilibrium. Ruthy was one of the original trainers in the Feldenkrais Method ® . Her final body of work is called Solutions for Optimal Mobility™. Included in the Solutions Program is the Equilibrium Program. The purpose of the program included in the syllabus is that it “enriches the resourcefulness for re-generating dynamic stability.” According to Ruthy, “the nature of empowering equilibrium is integrative; it means that the entire body is involved in harmonious coordination. There is no cell or fiber in the whole body that is not recruited in synchronizing the emergency urge to restore balance.”
The ninth process in the Solutions Equilibrium Program is “Walking on Knots.” The purpose of the process is the “upgrading adjustability to an uneven surface to awaken Movement Intelligence.” The Bones for Life® Wrap is one of Ruthy’s tools used in many Movement Intelligence Programs. It is a 7-meter piece of cotton fabric that is used in many or the processes. In Walking on Knots, participants take the wrap and make many knots in it. Some big, some small, with a random distance between them. In Ruthy’s words, the knots are unprogrammed. Unpredictable.
A hallmark of the Movement Intelligence processes is that there is a reference movement that is practiced before the process and then rechecked after the process is completed. In this process, the reference movement is “Checking one’s Zone of Security”. The Falling Reflex is evoked by shifting the weight from side to side to the place just before it evokes the fear of falling. The knotted Wrap is then placed on the floor in a random way. A sturdy chair that does not roll or swivel is placed near the wrap. Participants hold onto the chair for safety as they explore stepping and walking on the wrap. One foot after the other. The goal is to have different places of the foot land on the wrap. Sometimes the foot lands on the bare floor. The process continues to evolve into an exploration of finding and touching the various levels of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. In this way, the exploration allows the participant to find how the transmission of the stepping can travel throughout the spine. This allows for increased awareness of the connection of the feet to the entire spine. Breathing and surrendering the weight completely into the knots, or edges of the knots, or bare floor is an integral part of the process. The reference movement, checking one’s Zone of Security, is repeated after walking on the knots. Students almost always experience a positive result. They feel as if their equilibrium and balance, and their reaction time for their righting reflexes have all improved.
Why is this process so effective? In my opinion, it is because it is stimulating the righting reflexes contained within the Sinus Tarsi. The Sinus Tarsi is a cone-shaped anatomical canal on the lateral side of the ankle. It is located between the talus and calcaneus at the subtalar joint. It is a key stabilizer filled with fat, proprioceptive nerves, blood vessels, and crucial ligaments that limit ankle motion, especially inversion and eversion. When there is a perturbation or loss of alignment in this part of the ankle, the nerves in the tarsi sinus send information about the position and movement of the ankle and foot via sensory neurons up the spinal cord to the brain. The eyes shift their position from the horizon and the vestibular system in the inner ears detect a change in the positioning of the head. The reflexive integration of restoring balance then occurs in the brainstem and cerebellum. This righting reflex occurs in a nanosecond. We cannot consciously control a reflex. But we can practice eliciting the reflex so that it becomes an integral part of our neuromuscular repertoire. Reaction time matters. It impacts our daily life and is an integral part of our safety. Reaction time is tied to our ability to live independently. Being able to move fast enough to cook, clean, or get around keeps our aging population in control of their lives. Our confidence fades when reflexes fade. Simple things, like stepping off a curb, become risky. This challenges our confidence, and our movement repertoire becomes smaller and more confined. Our life starts to feel as if it is closing in on ourselves and we start to move less and less. This is a recipe for critical loss of function and ultimately our independence. Therefore, we must practice losing our balance in a safe and controlled setting so that the recovery of our balance is readily available for us when we need to recruit these righting reflexes. Ruthy Alon’s Equilibrium Syllabus in the Solutions Program is one modality that is brilliantly designed to address this issue in a safe and controlled setting. It is biologically essential for our survival as we age that we participate in such programs so that we can age gracefully and live life to its fullest.
Elizabeth Keith is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner ® . She is Bones for Life ® and Solutions for Optimal Mobility™ Certified Trainer. She is a Certified Teacher of John Argue’s Parkinsons Art of Moving Program. She also teaches Tai Chi Movement Classes. Elizabeth is the President of the Board of the Foundation for Movement Intelligence of North America.
Please visit www.MoveBetterToday.com to learn more about Elizabeth Keith’s programs.