Conditions & Concerns
Balance & Coordination
Balance is a whole-nervous-system task. It is also one of the easier things to measure and re-measure.
Balance and coordination depend on the brain integrating input from your eyes, inner ear and body.
When that integration is not working as well as it could, people often notice it as unsteadiness, clumsiness or a growing hesitation about certain movements or surfaces.
Why this matters
Balance affects confidence, activity level and independence. People who feel unsteady tend to move less, and moving less can affect the rest of the picture over time.
Balance is also measurable, which makes it useful. It gives us a concrete way to look at how someone is doing now and to check that again later.
The brain & nervous-system connection
Where the nervous system fits in
Balance and eye-movement testing give a window into how well several parts of the nervous system — vision, the inner ear and input from muscles and joints — are working together and coordinating with each other.
What we look at
We look for patterns, not a single test
We don't evaluate someone based on a single symptom or a single test. We look for patterns across several areas of function, and those patterns are what guide the care we recommend.
- Detailed health history and consultation
- NeuroInfiniti Stress Response Evaluation
- Posture and movement
- Balance and coordination testing
- Eye movement or neurological screening when appropriate
- Grip or motor-function testing when appropriate
- Palpation and spinal function
- Other examination procedures based on the individual
Not every person receives every test. What we perform depends on your history, your age and what the examination shows as we go.
How we approach care
Evaluation comes before treatment. Foothills Chiropractic is a neurologically based office, which means we start with how your brain, nervous system and spine are functioning, and let those findings — not simply where you hurt — guide what we recommend.
Not everyone is adjusted the same way. Technique and force may vary with age, examination findings, health history, comfort and clinical judgment. Dr. Geran is trained in several chiropractic techniques and chooses based on findings rather than preference alone.
Chiropractic is one part of a broader health picture. When findings fall outside our scope, Dr. Geran may recommend referral or co-management, and progress is reassessed over time rather than judged only by how you feel on a particular day.
Dr. Mike Geran practices at Foothills Chiropractic in Travelers Rest, SC, and sees patients from across the Furman University area and the surrounding Upstate communities.
Scope of care
What this does — and doesn't — mean
What we do
- • We evaluate chiropractic and musculoskeletal function.
- • We look at nervous-system-related functional findings that fall within our scope.
- • We assess movement, balance and coordination findings.
- • We measure stress-response patterns with the NeuroInfiniti evaluation.
- • We make individualized chiropractic care recommendations and re-measure over time.
What we don't claim
- • We do not diagnose, treat or cure diseases.
- • Chiropractic care is not a treatment for dementia, Alzheimer's disease or other neurological diseases.
- • Chiropractic care is not a replacement for medical care, testing or medication.
- • No outcome is promised. Results vary from person to person.
Medical evaluation, diagnosis, treatment or co-management may be needed when findings or symptoms warrant it, and Dr. Mike Geran will say so.
Evidence
What does the research say?
We separate two different kinds of evidence: research into the brain, the nervous system and healthy aging, and research on chiropractic or manual therapy itself. Each summary is labelled, and each links to the primary source rather than a secondary summary.
We are continuing to review published research relevant to this topic and will add sourced, linked studies here as that work is completed.
We periodically update this section as new research becomes available.
Explore this topic
Explore Balance & Coordination
Articles and, over time, short videos on this topic. Anything still in draft is marked as such rather than presented as finished guidance.
How Balance Issues Can Reflect Problems in Brain and Nervous-System Function
What unsteadiness may be telling you.
Pain & Movement3 Simple Exercises to Help Coordination
Simple drills that challenge coordination.
Healthy AgingWhy Standing on One Leg Matters More Than You Think
A simple test with a lot of information in it.
Specific concerns in this area
- Ankle Instability
- Atlantoaxial Instability
- Auto Accident Injury
- Balance Problems & Disequilibrium
- Cervical Instability
- Cervicogenic Dizziness
- Craniocervical Instability
- Dizziness
- Ligament Laxity
- Post-Concussion Headache
- Post-Concussion Neck Pain
- Post-Concussion Syndrome
- Post-Fall Neck Pain
- Slip-and-Fall Injury
- Vertigo
- Vestibular Dysfunction After Concussion or Whiplash
- Visual-Motion Sensitivity After Concussion
- Whiplash
- Whiplash-Related Cervical Instability
Related topics at Foothills Chiropractic
- Brain Health & Healthy Aging — How well the brain and nervous system coordinate movement, balance, stress and recovery matters to how we experience aging.
- Joint Pain & Staying Active — Shoulders, hips, knees, ankles — extremity function matters as much as the spine.
Common questions
- Is balance testing uncomfortable?
- No. It is simple and non-invasive, and most people find it straightforward to complete.
- Can balance change?
- Balance-related function can be worked on and re-measured over time, though we make no promises about outcomes for any individual person.
- Do I need a referral?
- No. You can schedule directly, and the evaluation will determine whether chiropractic care fits your situation.
When medical evaluation may be needed
Sudden vertigo, new double vision, or a fall with injury should be evaluated medically first.
Think Foothills Chiropractic might be right for you?
Start Here walks you through what the process looks like, so you can decide whether taking the next step makes sense for you.