Key Takeaways
- Different parts of the brain must work together to coordinate movement.
- Flipping your palms up and down quickly can reveal coordination challenges on one side.
- If one side is slower or less coordinated, Dr. Parsons recommends getting assessed before more symptoms appear.
Your brain has many different parts, including the frontal, parietal, and cerebellar lobes, and they all have to work together to communicate properly with your body. In this video, Dr. Parsons demonstrates a simple test to check how well your brain is managing coordination.
Test One: Arms Out
Stand with your feet together and your arms straight out in front of you. Turn your palms all the way up and all the way down as fast as you can.
In the demonstration, one hand starts to lose control. Dr. Parsons explains that this suggests the right cerebellum is having some challenges, which can also show up as knocking things over when reaching for them, bumping into door frames, or balance problems.
Test Two: Elbows Bent
To check a different part of the brain, keep your feet together, tuck your arms into your ribs with your elbows bent, and do the same thing: palms up, palms down, as fast as you can.
What the Results Mean
If one side is slower, the movements aren't coordinated, or one arm drifts up or down, Dr. Parsons says something may be a little off. The test is a window into how the brain is functioning, giving her the chance to investigate further before more symptoms appear.
Want to check your balance too? Try Dr. Parsons' toothbrushing balance exercise. Learn more about our brain wellness services.
Read the full video transcript
Hey everyone, it's Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, founder of the Natural Path Health Center, and I am here with Rachel, who has volunteered to do this test. We know that brain health is very important. Our brain communicates with the body, and we've got all these different parts of the brain: the frontal lobes, the parietal lobes, the cerebellar lobes. There are different lobes of that, too. All of that has to work together to communicate properly. So I'm going to have her do a simple test to see how her brain is managing coordination. I'm just going to have you put your feet together. Bring your arms straight up in front of you, and I want you to turn your palms all the way up and all the way down as fast as you can. Go. Go. If you notice, it's subtle. Keep going. See how one hand is starting to lose control? That's telling me that her right cerebellum is having some challenges. This could also affect her movement. If she's reaching for something, she might knock it over. She might be bumping into door frames. She might be having some balance challenges. I don't know. But I do know that there's something happening with the cerebellum. So this is a window into the functioning of her brain, which gives me the opportunity to do more investigation, to see what we can do before she starts to manifest more symptoms. Now, another quick test to check a different part of the brain, same premise: feet together, arms tucked into your ribs, elbows bent. Same thing: palms up, palms down, as fast as you can go. And look at that floppy side. It's like it's not working. So she needs chiropractic care. Surprise. This is a quick test you could do at home. It would be a fun party trick with all of your friends. If you notice one side is slower, they're not coordinated, or one arm is going up or down, that's an indication that something might be a little bit amiss. So don't wait until you get all kinds of crazy symptoms. Let's come in, assess it, and correct it now. I hope you don't have this problem, but if you do, I hope to see you soon. Bye.
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB
Dr. Mikell Suzanne Parsons, DC, CCN, DACBN, DACNB is a Doctor of Chiropractic, certified clinical nutritionist, and brain wellness expert with 34+ years serving Fresno families at The Natural Path Health Center.
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