Rant of the Week from Cara

I got my start down the path toward what is now Bridging® by assessing balance.

For children, I adapted a protocol designed for older adults (Fullerton Advanced Balance scale). Yes, I searched for an established protocol for children’s balance but found this is not really a topic in pediatric research.

One reason no one thinks to check kids’ balance is that balance is perceived to be only an issue for older adults. We find otherwise.

Older adult balance gets the research funding because there are costly public health implications of falling, breaking bones, and incurring disabilities.

Kids with poor balance are not a public health crisis. Instead, balance issues manifest as behavioral issues. These are the most common that we find:

• Sedentary behavior – We often find movement in the core doesn’t easily connect to the limbs, so being active is hard and inefficient.
• Hyperactive behavior – We often find the mechanisms controlling slower movement missed developing as an infant. The kids have one speed — on!
• Anxious behavior – We often find core control for postural security is poor, so physical movement feels fraught with insecurity. The legs and core are often floppy.

Yes, the undesirable behavior gets the attention, but research funding for kids goes for pharmaceutical interventions, not balance.

Why would balance be off in children (and adults)?

For children and adults, we find the same four interrupters for balance control:

1. Injuries
2. Illness
3. Medical Interventions
4. Early life/birth events

We use the gentle Bridging® reset process to restore the correct stabilizing patterns in the muscle groups impacting your balance. Kids’ balance improvements are immediate, and usually need periodic follow-up as they grow.