MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
  • Subscribe
June 13, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy
Senior Nation Portal Highlights Senior Nation Senior Highlights

Senior Nation Fitness: Staying Balanced in the New Year – Part Two

January 10, 2017 by Spy Desk

Share

Many systems of the body work together to maintain balance. The sensory system provides information about the position of the body and information about the environment. The brain interprets the information and sends signals to the muscular system to respond with the appropriate movements to maintain balance and avoid falling.

The senses involved in balance include:
– Vision provides information about the body’s relationship to other objects, information about surfaces that are encountered and obstacles to avoid. Changes in vision due to medical conditions or age can have a significant impact on the information provided by the visual system and at times increase the risk of falling.
– There are sensors within the muscular system that respond to signals inside and outside of the body. This system is called the somatosensory system. These sensors provide information about the surface encountered and the position of the body. Medical conditions that effect these sensors such as neuropathy (numbness in the feet) will interfere with their effectiveness and limit the body’s ability to respond appropriately to maintain balance.
– The vestibular system which includes the balance mechanism in the inner ear, is especially important when the other two systems are not working properly. This system provides information about movements of the body and is activated when the head is moved. Medical conditions that affect the inner ear such as vertigo create a feeling of dizziness and increase the risk of falling.

The brain must clearly interpret the information that comes from the sensory systems to efficiently control the movements of the muscles. Neurological conditions that affect the brain can interfere with these signals resulting in the inability of the muscular system to maintain balance.

Maintaining balance requires a certain amount of muscular strength and flexibility. Lack of strength and flexibility due to a sedentary lifestyle or medical conditions can limit the ability of the body to maintain balance.

Part three of this series will discuss simple ways to keep the systems of the body working properly to avoid falls.

Kimberly Huff, MS
Fitness Director
Heron Point of Chestertown

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Portal Highlights, Senior Highlights

6th Annual Concert Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. UM Shore Regional Health Announces New HR Director, Business Partner

Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article

We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.

Copyright © 2025

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2025 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in