Try something with me. I take some of my patients through this before I treat them (if I feel they need it). Take your shoes off. Stand up nice and straight, keeping your chin back (avoid “jutting” your chin). I usually have my patients stand on a balance foam pad, but you probably don’t have one. The ground is fine. Just stand there and maintain your balance. Now close your eyes. Pay attention to what happens when you take your vision away. Is it harder? Did you sway side to side? Hopefully you aren’t trying to read this with your eyes closed!!! Now, try this same routine with one leg bent at 90 degrees in the air (so you’re balancing on one leg). Yeah, it’s really hard to balance on one leg without your eyesight.
Why is this? It’s because you don’t have strong proprioception- basically the communication between your mind and the rest of your body. I like to think of proprioception as your body’s ability to work as one.
Chiropractic adjustments increase your proprioception. When an adjustment is performed, any neurological blockage from your spine to your brain is released, which promotes a stronger connection between that vertebrae and your brain.
Another way to increase proprioception is good old simple practice. The more you work on balance exercises, the better you will get. Try working on it while you perform your daily routines: brushing your teeth, drinking your coffee, watching Netflix, driving to work.. just kidding!
A strong proprioceptive connection in your body will help prevent injuries as well! There is a reason why some superstar athletes rarely get hurt. If you ever get a chance to see them train, you’ll probably see them working on balance a lot of the time.