Groton Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !
“I’m just not as balanced as I used to be.”
This isn’t an unusual conversation starter at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office from our Groton chiropractic patients and/or their family members. Balance is vital to avert falls and associated issues that may come with it…like breaking something! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office offers some news about fall prevention and balance enhancement with spinal manipulation and balance practice.
BALANCE AND AGING
The 50s bring some hard to ignore changes particularly in relation to balance. Such changes in balance also boost the risk for falling and other health concerns. A study of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years of age who did not experience any problems with walking found that 20.4% couldn’t do a 10 second one-legged-stand which tended to increase the risk of all-cause mortality. (1) Failing the 10 second balance test was associated with an 84% greater risk of dying within in the study time (12 yrs). This observational study didn’t state cause/effect but proposed a connection, a link that may insire middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg every day! To be safe, Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office urges standing near to a counter to stabilize yourself if necessary. If today only 3 seconds are possible, keep practicing. you will improve over time! (2) Once you see some improvement, you’ll want to do more! 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 measuring test for postural sway. None were different in transfer of weight. Younger volunteers decreased postural sway within 2 seconds while older ones never did and swayed the same the whole time. Older “fallers” swayed significantly more. This specially designed one-leg-stance test established who the “fallers” were better – 100% - than other more common 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 Groton chiropractor in evaluating baseline balance.
ROLE OF CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION IN MOVEMENT CONTROL
A newly published paper described the usefulness of (Cox®) flexion distraction spinal manipulation for lumbar spinal stenosis patients by enhancing 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 enhance your balance!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates relieving chiropractic care and re-establishing balance via The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for patients with spinal stenosis.
Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment now. We look forward to hearing how much steadier you are!
