Walking on Uneven Ground Improves Proprioception

 Proprioception is our ability to sense where our body is in space. It's critical for avoiding falls and not bumping your shin into that coffee table (again!). When it's working well, it's automatic. If the ground is suddenly slanted, proprioception alerts your brain "Hey! Something is different. Activate different muscles to keep me upright." This skill decreases as we get older or after an injury. That's why it's a skill we train with all of our clients at AIM. 

One of the easiest ways to train proprioception is by walking on uneven surfaces. Think the beach or a trail. However, if you only walk on paved surfaces, start small by walking on the grass. You can even use hiking poles if you're nervous. Once you feel comfortable on the grass, you can challenge yourself by moving to pressed dirt or the flat, hard sand (see pic above). The next progression would be moving to the flat, slanted sand; the flat, soft sand; or a rocky, uneven trail. All of these surfaces can improve your proprioception, but they also have the added benefits of improving your balance, increasing your ankle/foot strength, and since they are outside, connecting you with nature. 

This is one of the many reasons we started our hiking program. If you're new to walking on uneven surfaces but want to try, check out our easy hikes. We carefully select trails that provide a beginner proprioception challenge, and we even provide hiking poles to test out. Support hikers are nearby to lend a hand as well.

We hope you'll take advantage of our hikes this fall, or enjoy a fall beach stroll, to work on your proprioception!