walking a straight line...

[Windsong]

I'm wondering how many of you have found that when doing the heel toe walk for balance on your own at home you have found that looking down versus looking ahead in front of you makes a difference?......( no using hands and arms out to the side either lol).... I tried it tonight and noticed the balance is different depending on whether I am looking down or straight ahead.....
W.

[Joef]

looking down is harder! ... I believe since we (ANers) depend more on vision .. (walking etc in the dark is harder) .. when we are looking down, we dont see the horizon.. and balance is harder...

[nancyann]

I agree with Joef, looking straight ahead much easier.   In fact, I've tried this every so often - it's alot easier now than 3 months ago,  YEA FOR ME !!!!!!

[Betsy]

Interesting...it IS easier to walk in a straight line when focusing on something in the distance.  I'm going to try this next time I'm walking with a group of co-workers.  I know they wonder why I can't walk in a straight line.  The "liquid lunch" jokes are getting old.

[Windsong]

Interesting... that's what I discovered too. And it made me wonder if that's why some feel more unbalanced when walking down a set of stairs. (as opposed to up)  ...

I also recalled that a couple of times when a neurologist had me do that walk and I'd look at my feet,  he'd say no,no, look ahead when you do this.....(i didn't question why at the time lol)...now I am wondering why long and narrow hallways (vs wide open spaces) make a difference and seem harder when looking ahead and I tend to look down (grocery stores too when in the early stages of vestibular compensation......) yet tai chi is fine when looking ahead....

[BB]

WINDSONG, JUST WONDERING IF YOU STILL HAVE ISSUE'S OF LONG HALL WAY'S, OR IF YOU HAD BAD OR WORSE VESTIBULAR PROBLMES DEPENDING ON COLOR OF WALLS, OR LIGHTING OF ROOMS.  I HAVE 2 GRANDKIDS THAT I WOULD GO HAVE LUNCH WITH WHEN THEY WERE STILL IN SCHOOL.  MY GRAND DAUGHTER'S LUNCH ROOM I WOULD HAVE TO WALK DOWN A REALLY LONG STRAIGHT HALL THAT WAS WHITE, ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL NOT WELL, ON THE VERGE OF LIKE I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE.  THEN MY GRAND SON'S LUNCH ROOM WAS SMALL WALLS PAINTED BLUE NO LONG HALL WAYS.  ENJOYED LUNCH THERE. I STILL TRY TO EXPLAIN WIDE OPEN SPACES TO MY FAMILY, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND.  SOME DAYS JUST DON'T WANT TO EVEN GET OUT.  DO ANY OF YOU FACE THESE ISSUES.  IT'S BEEN ALMOST ONE YEAR.  SOME DAYS IT'S BETTER, OTHER DAY'S IT SEEMS SO BAD AGAIN.  I DO THE EXERCISES, AND FIND WHEN I DON'T DO MY WALKING, I DO GET WORSE.  JUST WONDERED HOW MANY OTHER'S SUFFER WITH THIS, AND DOES IT EVER GO AWAY.  I KNOW THE YMCA OFFER'S TIA CHI, BUT JUST DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO IT AND HOW PATIENT THEY ARE WITH YOU.  ANY PROBLEMS THERE? THANKS  BB

[Windsong]

BB,

The hallway which now and then can still give me a sense of balance problems is long, narrow, has pale cream walls and  a pale floor... I am guessing that the visual help our eyes give us in balance after compensation simply isn't there as the walls and floor blend together sort of....corridors with more colour contrast between the walls and floor are not a problem.

I'm really fine outdoors in wide open spaces.... but lobbies with soaring ceilings and a huge floor area and lots of noise or echoes can be problematic. Although that can be ok at times too.

Grocery stores are fine now too.

If it's only been one year for you I'd say that you might still improve quite a bit as my neurotologist told me that compensation can go on for two years even.

I'm sure tai chi will be patient. Learning it is an ongoing process.....they break it down for each step and if needed come around and help anyone who might have some difficulty.... I learned at a dojo .. .each class we added more steps... best of luck, as it truly helps.
W.

[mema]

Just tried it and yes its easier when looking straight ahead.  Now my bike riding makes sense.  My friends call me Evil Knievil.  I ride my bike swaying back and forth.  I'm a looker downer.  Even at work people always use to say "You're always looking down".  Found alot of money that way LOL.                                                                                                                                                               


                                                                          mema

[BB]

WINDSONG, THANK YOU FOR THE INFO.  I REALLY NEED TO FIND  A JOB, AND HAVEN'T WORKED IN 10 YEARS.  I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START.  MY HUSBAND WANTS ME TO WAIT, AS HE SEE'S MY SLOW IMPROVEMENT'S, BUT I DON'T HAVE HEALTH CARE.  JUST TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING THAT FITS INTO ALL THE PROBLEMS I HAVE IS TOUGH, BUT I HAVE TO TRY.  MY HUSBAND IS AFRAID I WILL FALL AND HURT MY SELF.  MY BALANCE IS STILL REALLY OFF.  CAN'T DO ANY COMPUTER WORK, SO BAD WITH WORD AND SENTENCE PROBLEMS AND SPELLING.  LOOKS LIKE THAT CAN STAY FOR A WHILE.  THEN THE WHOLE ISSUE OF LIGHTS AND COLOR AND HALL WAY MAKE ME FEEL REALLY SICK.  THANK YOU ANYWAY FOR YOUR RESPONSE.  SORRY FOR ALL THE MISTAKES IN THIS MESSAGE.  PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS IN A DIFFERENT FORUM.  GOT SIDE TRACKED FROM THE ORIGINAL QUESTION I ASKED YOU. HOW LONG BEFORE YOU SEE RESULTS IN TAI CHA? MY HUSBAND THINKS I SHOULD GIVE EVERYTHING A FEW MORE MONTHS.  THANKS, BB

[Windsong]

BB, you asked how long before tai chi worked? For me it was fairly soon after starting, but please know that it was a good 3 years after my viral attack on the vesitibular system before i took the tai chi  consistently.  Up until then I had been been concentrating on walking mainly and regular daily living. I was in bed almost a month most of the time at first and I couldn't even sit up to eat at first. My first try around the two month mark was too hard for me after the first classes. I would get naueated or dizzy after twenty minutes. I had to heal more first. So it was a while before i found a class that was easy for me to get to and offred what i wanted. We also used to have a "seminar" session where for an hour we would sit and sip tea lol while we listened to talks about it and qi gong and things like that, all taking place in a room with comfy carpeting, couches, armchairs, and a fireplace so it was a very relaxed setting. One of the aspects that I particularly enjoyed was the bit on energy and certain exercises like "pushing hands" and qi gong etc. all quite fascinating, especially when partnered with some who had been studying it for a number of years.  I don't think all places offer that kind of a whole package though. I was lucky. I did mine barefoot on hardwood floors for the actual tai chi. Not long ago (before the An was found though) I tried it at a karate place and wrecked my back on the thick foam floor they had (felt like walking on wwater to me and had to use far too many muscles to stay upright lol)  plus later when i spoke to my original teacher she said stick to hardwood floors. That probably makes sense for us as we use our feet for clues when we are vestibularly challenged. It really is an ongoing thing for improvement with tai chi i think.

Forgot to add that i find office lights hard to take ( any place with those flourescent lights)....

[Boppie]

There is a definite difference in my balance when I walk looking down.  I think that is why walking outdoors on any type of terrain is more difficult than indoors on the floor.  I look down on grass and pavement because my feet sense the subtle variations and lumps on the ground and require more visual input to maintain balance.  But walking outdoors is good challenge and practice for improving my balance.  I try to look straight ahead and not down in the out of doors diliberately to build on improving my ankle strength and balance ability.  I swing my arms too, this helps maintain straight mometum.    I find walking along the aisle of church pews especially challenging because my arms are down, I am looking for a seat,  and I am not needing to maintain any speed or momentum.

My husband observed that when I walk slowly each foot is off the ground longer and I have to balance on the opposing ankle/foot a bit longer. 

I have this picture in my mind...the baby is learning to travel across the room.  Does he go slowly? or does he go head long in a semi run? Does he flail his arms about? How smart they are...learning to balance.

[Kathleen_Mc]

Yes it is more difficult to keep balance while looking down, I also find it harder to walk in the dark with a flashlight than in total darkness (night nurse) so I tend to not use one.
Kathleen

[Jeanlea]

Okay, I had to try this.  There was no real difference for me in looking down or looking ahead.  But I always used to look down when I walked long before the AN.  I did try walking heal to toe with my eyes closed.  That did not go so well.  I do alright in dim light, just not complete darkness.  I'm 21 months out from surgery today.  I find that my balance has improved since this time last year. 

Jean

[Shrnwldr]

I still walk kinda stiff. I have to conciously remember heel then toe because of a tendency to waddle like a duck.  My biggest fear is falling.  I am so afraid that I will fall and jarr my head and cause complications.   Walking with my head or down doesn't seem to make a difference. I noticed though that if I move my head back and forth I need to stop first because that really causes some problems.  But then surgery was only 2-1/2 weeks ago.

[okiesandy]

These are things that I have found to help balance. When I woke up one morning I didn't have any balance. The tumor took earing in 3 days after the balance went. Two weeks later showed the tumor.

CK treatment with warning balance would be bad after more than likely because it was bad before. I have just had the best 7 weeks since April 2005. I walked in a straight line heal to toe. Stood on one leg to put on my jeans and panties. (We know that is a challange). My husband laughed and said I look like a stork because I was alway standing on one leg. Fun for me.

For months I have never looked down. I have said that many times to this group.

 Slightly longer strides. We tend to want to fling out the arms and take short steps while looking down. BAD!!! I tax my balance at every point I come to that challanges me. If turning is a issue I make sure I turn and turn and turn many times over the next few days. Halls and rough gournd the same way I just keep doing it and doing it.

 Tai Chi

 Dancing with counting (Old Courntry Line Dance tapes from Garage Sale).

Walking backward.

Keeping allergies under control and sinus.

 Watching the salt.

Practicing standing with my legs together and when I can do this I close my eyes.

Malls still throw me for a loop. Now I am stopping on the way home from work to walk in one every night. It may be the people coming toward me that does this. 

I went back to riding my horses and then got in contact with a lady that has a handicapped riding stable. She said she works with adults and children that have very sever problems and the motinn of the animal helps the balance.

I have a rebounder with a frame to hold on to and I jump and run in place on it for about 10 minutes a day. First day I didn't last 30 seconds. Barf!!! There are good simple, safe things you can do on this.

Now my AIED is in full bloom and I am on heavy steroids. Back to a former balance issue. Still I am not giving up. I loved the feeling of feeling good. Just down right tail wagging good.  I know everyday is not going to be the same. I said on another site it is two steps forward and one back it is progress.

Sandy