San Jose Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !
“I’m just not as balanced as I once was.”
This is not an uncommon conversation starter at Chiropractic Solutions from our San Jose chiropractic patients and/or their loved ones. Balance is crucial to avert falls and associated issues that may come with it…like breaking something! Chiropractic Solutions offers 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 particularly in relation to balance. Such changes in balance also increase the risk for falling and other health concerns. A study of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years old who had no problems with walking found that 20.4% couldn’t perform a 10 second one-legged-stand which tended to increase the risk of all-cause mortality. (1) Not being able to do the 10 second balance test was associated with an 84% higher risk of dying within in the study time (12 yrs). This observational study did not declare cause/effect but suggested a link, a link that may encourage middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg every day! To be safe, Chiropractic Solutions recommends standing next a tall chair to catch yourself if necessary. If you can only do 2 seconds today, keep practicing. You’ll do better as you practice! (2) Once you see some improvement, you’ll keep practicing! Proprioception exercises may help, too!
MORE ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRACTICE BALANCE
A research project compared how known “fallers,” “nonfallers,” and young volunteers did on a force plate measuring test for postural sway. None differed in transfer of weight. Younger ones 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 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 beneficial to your San Jose 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 enhancing their balance test scores - Timed Up and Go and Five Times Sit to Stand Test – and decreasing postural sway and entropy (forward/backward movement) as measured on a force plate. (4) That is so good! Between our in-office chiropractic treatments with Cox® Technic in the office and your practicing standing on one foot then the other at home, we will see how well we can enhance your balance!
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
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 San Jose chiropractic appointment today. We look forward to seeing how much better balanced you feel!
