Around 34% of community dwelling elderly individuals reported balance disorders.   Gait and balance disorders are major risk factors for falls, which can lead to serious injuries and decreased quality of life.   Gait refers to your pattern of walking, while balance is the ability to maintain your body's center of gravity while upright.   This presentation will talk about how the three key sensory systems work together to achieve this: the visual system, which provides information about your surroundings, the somatosensory system, which includes receptors in your skin, muscles, and joints that sense touch, pressure, and proprioception (body position and movement), and the vestibular system in your inner ear, which detects head movement and orientation. The brain integrates these inputs to coordinate movement and maintain stability, allowing for smooth and stable locomotion.

Presenter: Tina Raad, DPT, Vestibular Rehabilitation, The Mount Sinai Health System