Fort Wayne Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !

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

This isn’t 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 offers some news about fall prevention and balance improvement 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 increase the risk for falling and other health concerns. A study of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years old who had no issues 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) Failing 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 suggested a link, a link that may encourage 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 counter to stabilize yourself if necessary. If today only 3 seconds are possible, keep working on it. You’ll improve over time! (2) Once you see some improvement, you will 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 gauging test for postural sway. None were different in transfer of weight. 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 established who the “fallers” were 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 Fort Wayne chiropractor in determining 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 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 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 illustrates 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 today. We look forward to seeing how much better balanced you feel!