Theme page 18. The DSB, the TSB and motion / physical exercise

When we know the many influences of the sense of balance on the function of  the body, senses and brain it's easier to understand how the DSB with muscular tension can disturb the motion of the body by making it slow, clumsy or hasty; hard and strenuous. The symmetric movements of legs and arms may be difficult: e.g. going on all fours and swimming or keeping the body in balance when walking or riding a bike. As for a child it can mean delays in motor development. As for a teenager, the phase of rapid growth may strain the sense of balance so much that all troublesome exercise is forgotten. As for an adult, it may give aging issues or illnesses in the musculoskeletal system prematurely.

Recovery from physical strain can be very slow and painful because of muscular tension. Twisted courses of movement of tensed muscles change the courses of the movements of joints and predispose them to stress injuries of different type. Tensed, stiff muscles cause jolting motion and potentially pain in other organs, too, e.g. in the stomach. These problems can be eased by elastic shoes and by avoiding walking, running etc. on hard surfaces.

The successful coordination of the body requires the seamless cooperation of nearly all the senses. The sense of touch and feeling conveys information to the kinesthetic sense which includes the common memory of the movements and positions of our legs, feet, arms and hands. This memory helps us to move our bodies carefully and we know the location of our body parts, what they are capable of and we know how to use them properly.

The potential advantages of treating the sense of balance can mean fewer delays in motor development, better self-confidence at any age, fewer premature aging issues, fewer risks caused by hasty or clumsy movements which predispose to accidents, injuries, etc. There are two more risky aspects of motion, namely the lack and of it as well as excessive exercise.

An important health issue is the tendency to avoid any inconvenience and the trouble of taking regular exercise because of all the strain caused by the DSB. The convenient way of life with too little exercise, too much (unhealthy) food and perhaps drink has probably caused more bad conscience than anything else where the standard of living gives the opportunity to this kind of lifestyle. Too many diets have failed because the body and its metabolism haven't obeyed and the power of will has run short. In many cases the problem hasn't obviously been ignorance but the body itself. To be able to start exercising and a healthy diet, the vicious circle of dysfunction in one's metabolism should be stopped by treating the sense of balance – in time.

Muscles need practice to get stronger, which also helps the task of the sense of balance. Thus exercise often gives a good feeling of pleasure. This may be a good start for the development of a career as a successful athlete. But it may also be a trap, which can lead to excessive, compulsive exercise because in the long run the DSD affects the control of the body and its condition more and more. It can cause strain injuries because the body can no longer recover from the strain. To improve the capacity of the body an enthusiastic sportsman may be tempted to use doping to achieve ambitious goals by questionable means. That's why there are too many sad stories about active sportsmen who have lost their (physical and/or mental) health.   

The following chapter Theme page 19. The DSB, the TSB and muscular tension in the neck and shoulders, headache and migraine