Watching the ice skating competitions of the Sochi Olympics caused me to think a bit on how our vestibular functions and how trained athletes, namely figure skaters, can do what they do without vertigo. What is Vertigo?Vertigo, vərtəgō/, a noun, a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height, or caused by disease affecting the inner ear or the vestibular nerve; or giddiness.
It’s quite normal to experience vertigo or feelings of dizziness as we spin, especially with our eyes closed. Without spatial relationships or seeing our environment we can easily become dizzy and possibly fall and thus become injured. However, as we spin, with consistency and practice, such as is involved with figure skaters, we become conditioned to this spinning sensation and become acclimated. Our balance system and eye functioning becomes “trained”to this repeated movement. As I recall, my daughter recently studying the effects of dizziness on ice skaters and non-ice skaters, she found that ice skaters showed less saccadic eye movement or dizzy sensitivity as compared to those that are not as practiced in skating and spinning.
Our practice devotes great emphasis and focus to those with vertigo, dizziness, or concerns of falling. We are proud of our efforts in relationship with medical and physician practices in assessing their patients with these symptoms. Vertigo and dizziness certainly has a negative affect on a person’s quality of life. intricate physical and neural functioning, is paramount to assisting those that are professional figure skaters.
Congratulations to Meryl David and Charlie White for achieving not only a gold medal for USA but for the dedication and love of their sport!
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