West Palm Beach Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !

“I’m just not as steady as I used to be.”

This is not an unusual conversation starter at Chiropractic Care from our West Palm Beach chiropractic patients and/or their family members. Balance is vital to prevent falls and related problems that may come with a fall…like breaking something! Chiropractic Care offers some news regarding fall prevention and balance enhancement with spinal manipulation and balance practice.

BALANCE AND AGING

The 50s bring some noticeable changes especially in relation to balance. Such changes in balance also increase the risk for falling and other health concerns. A report of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years old who had no issues with walking found that 20.4% could not do 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 had an 84% greater risk of dying within in the study time (12 yrs). This observational study did not state cause/effect but proposed a connection, a link that may encourage middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg every day! To be safe, Chiropractic Care recommends standing near to a counter to stabilize yourself if necessary. If you can only do 2 seconds today, keep working on it. You’ll improve over time! (2) Once you add a few seconds, you will want to do more! 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 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 designed 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 beneficial to your West Palm Beach chiropractor in evaluating baseline balance.

ROLE OF CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION IN MOVEMENT CONTROL

A recently published paper described the usefulness 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 assessed 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 Chiropractic Care

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.

Make your West Palm Beach chiropractic appointment today. We look forward to hearing how much steadier you are!