Dr. Michael Weir Shows You How Standing On One Foot Tells You How Healthy You Are?

Written by Dr. Michael Weir Monday, 02 May 2011 05:38

One great test that you can do to help assess the health of a certain part of your nervous system called the cerebellum is the one leg balance test. Go ahead and give it a try. Stand up strait and close both of your eyes. Now with your eyes closed lift one foot off of the ground and balance for as long as you can up to 30 seconds. Now try to do it with your other foot and see how you do with that one. How long did you go for?

One great test that you can do to help assess the health of a certain part of your nervous system called the cerebellum is the one leg balance test. Go ahead and give it a try. Stand up strait and close both of your eyes. Now with your eyes closed lift one foot off of the ground and balance for as long as you can up to 30 seconds. Now try to do it with your other foot and see how you do with that one. How long did you go for?

(0-20 seconds)If you had a problem getting to 10 seconds let alone 30 this may be a sign that there is some dysfunction in the joints of your body. Each joint of the body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head has little sensors in them that are linked to the brain. These little sensors tell the brain where the body is at in gravity.

To see these little sensors in action we are going to do another little test. Extend your right and left arms out to the sides, and one at a time touch your finger to your nose. Now do it with your eyes closed. If you are saying to yourself "this is the drunk test" you are right! Your ability to touch your nose shows us that your joint sensors that tell you where your arm is at are working well.

We start to have problems with these little sensors when the joints become injured. Injuries to the low back, pelvis, and legs can alter your bodies ability to stand on one leg for a normal amount of time. If you had a hard time reaching 30 seconds this is a good sign that you the joints in your body may be damaged or not working properly. My job as a chiropractor is to help the joints to work properly, allowing the sensors to work properly and thus allowing for communication between your brain and body.

If you had any problems with this little test then it may be a good idea to go and see a chiropractor to get your joint sensors tested and possibly fixed!