Fort Wayne Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !
“I’m just not as steady as I once was.”
This is not an uncommon conversation starter at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc from our Fort Wayne chiropractic patients and/or their family members. Balance is vital to prevent falls and associated problems that may come with a fall…like breaking something! Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc presents some news regarding fall prevention and balance enhancement with spinal manipulation and balance practice.
BALANCE AND AGING
The 50s bring some hard to ignore changes especially in terms of balance. Such changes in balance also boost the risk for falling and other health concerns. A report of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years of age who had no issues with walking found that 20.4% could not do a 10 second one-legged-stand which tended to intensify the risk of all-cause mortality. (1) Not being able to do the 10 second balance test had an 84% greater risk of dying within in the study period (12 yrs). This observational study didn’t declare cause/effect but suggested a connection, a link that may insire middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg every day! To be safe, Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc recommends standing near to a tall chair to stabilize yourself if necessary. If today only 3 seconds are possible, keep practicing. You’ll do better over time! (2) Once you add a few seconds, you will keep practicing! Proprioception exercises may help, too!
MORE ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRACTICE BALANCE
A study compared how known “fallers,” “nonfallers,” and young volunteers performed on a force plate gauging test for postural sway. None were different in weight transfer. Younger volunteers reduced postural sway within 2 seconds while older ones never did and swayed the same the whole time. Older “fallers” swayed significantly more. This specially made one-leg-stance test determined the “fallers” better – 100% - than other commonly used ways to measure balance – five-times-sit-to-stand (69%), timed-up-and-go (48%), usual one-leg-stance without special parameters as in this research study (62%). (3) Tests like these are quite helpful to your Fort Wayne chiropractor in evaluating baseline balance.
ROLE OF CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION IN MOVEMENT CONTROL
A recently published paper noted the benefit of (Cox®) flexion distraction spinal manipulation for lumbar spinal stenosis patients by improving their balance test scores - Timed Up and Go and Five Times Sit to Stand Test – and reducing postural sway and entropy (forward/backward movement) as determined on a force plate. (4) That is so good! Between our in-office chiropractic treatments with Cox® Technic during office visits and in exercise sessions of practicing standing on one foot then the other at home, we will see how well we can improve your balance!
CONTACT Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes relieving chiropractic care and re-establishing balance via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for patients with spinal stenosis.
Make your Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment now. We look forward to seeing how much better balanced you are!
