Use it or lose it series - PROPRIOCEPTION is the important word for our conscious perception of movement or our orientation in space. This information comes from our nervous system.

PROPRIOCEPTION is critical for balance. Unfortunately, proprioception diminishes as we get older and we can become susceptible to falls. This is a big concern. However, we can take steps to safeguard our balance.

As we become older we don’t know that our proprioception is failing because we use our eyes to organise ourselves in space.

This big part of our balance system is ‘rusting away’ because we neglect to rely on it.

We lose it because we don’t use it (and we don’t realise that we are not using it) until we find we have a serious problem.

Stay tuned for the next post which gives you balance homework to keep yourself young.