On 10/02/2014 22:51, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Spider wrote:

You garden bare foot??

If you go around barefoot (which I used to do as a child, gravel and
holly leaves notwithstanding), you pay a lot more attention to what your
feet are telling you. Even though I normally wear shoes now, I'm more
sure-footed than the rest of m family, much less likely to trip over
things or step on breakable or obnoxious stuff.

I agree. I used to go barefoot a lot in my youth and still am fairly
sure-footed. It helps having 8 of course ;~).

Whereas I find it much easier to go barefoot because I am quite the
opposite of sure-footed! With no vestibular (semi-circular canal)
balance, I balance almost entirely by touch through my feet and
proprioreception. But, when I would lose feeling because of the
cold, I simply HAVE to wear boots :-(

But, I quite agree with the attention point - not just consciously,
but in terms of reflexes.

What a tricky condition to live with. Clearly, you've found a way, but
it must be hard in winter - now, in fact.

It's tedious, but I am lucky in that I developed it (and deafness)
very young, but in its severe form only after learning to walk and
talk. I cannot remember anything different, and I can (just) ride
a bicycle and ski. Ladders are a real pain, though, as I need one
hand to hold on the whole time, which makes doing anything very
tricky.



Thank goodness you got the walking and talking sorted out before it
became a problem. Presumably you've also learned to cope with the
deafness, but that doesn't mean you have to like it. Not easy for you.
In your position, I wouldn't even attempt ladders! Despite my
vertigo, I do use a ladder for tree truning but *very carefully*!


In spite of being generally sure-footed, I do suffer with a mild form of
'vertigo' and can suddenly become dizzy. Heights are tricky, too. I
can get dizzy just standing at the kerb waiting to cross a road.
I suppose we all have our little cross to bear.

A huge number of people have balance impairment, as vestibular
function is one of the first things to go as people get older,
and quite a few medical conditions can cause it to degrade
(often permanently).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


I'm sure a lot of my balance problems stem from ear troubles. I had
surgery on my ears when I was little. Since then, I've been diagnosed
MAD - no, not mad (!), but Mild Auditory Dysfunction. I also have neck
pain probs and often feel dizzy when I move my head suddenly or just too
far.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay