Yonemoto Physical Therapy

In the movie “The Karate Kid,” Mr. Miyagi talks to Daniel-san about balance, but Daniel-san thinks only of body balance.  Mr. Miyagi redirects his thinking to include balance in “whole life.”   Here are some ideas about balance.

• POSTURE:  Avoid a resting forward head posture.  From a side profile, the ears come in front of the shoulders, and the length of the muscles is not balanced.  Similar to a tent pole held up by guide wires, the neck bones are held up by a balanced tension of muscles around the bones.  With a balanced tension all around, none of the muscles work too hard.  However, if one muscle is shorter than the others, it pulls the bones out of balance and the other muscles have to use more tension to keep the bones upright.
• PACING:  If you feel good in the morning but are tired and in pain by early afternoon, your pace of activity is out of balance.  After a good night’s rest, the body feels refreshed.  You try to cram in as many activities as possible before the pain comes, thereby overloading the system - hence, fatigue and pain by 2:00 p.m.  Try to intersperse short rest periods between activities allowing the body to recover and refuel.  Although it seems to take longer, you will have greater endurance with no pain or fatigue.

• STANDING BALANCE: Standing on one leg creates balance involving the coordination of the muscles, so each muscle surrounding a joint is putting in the right amount of effort to keep the body upright.  The better the balance, the less effort required by the muscles and ligaments.  Much of balance is influenced by vision, but sensors in the joints also give information to the brain allowing for better coordination.  These sensors are particularly helpful when walking on uneven terrain or getting surprised by a gopher hole.  To improve standing balance, stand on one leg and maintain the stance for as long as possible.  Many people cannot do this for 5 seconds.  Tandem walking putting one foot in front of the other in a straight line, also helps.  Other ways of practicing balance are taught in ballet, Yoga, martial arts and gymnastics.
 
• BALANCED LIFE: Illness is an indication one’s life is out of balance, perhaps due to an unbalanced diet, unbalanced sleep to activity ratio, unbalanced finances, or unbalanced work to personal life.  Whatever the painful condition, use it as an opportunity to find the out-of-balance areas and correct them.

To enhance you body's overall health and wellbeing, consider taking a series of Chinese energy classes (qigong) such as those offered at Yonemoto Physical Therapy. Call for information. The first class is complimentary!

If you have any questions, please submit them to:
Sheila Yonemoto, P.T.
Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PHONE:  626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system

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