Nashua 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 Moriarty Chiropractic from our Nashua chiropractic patients and/or their family members. Balance is crucial to prevent falls and related problems that may come with a fall…like breaking something! Moriarty Chiropractic 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 boost the risk for falling and other health concerns. A report of 1702 people between 51 and 75 years old who did not experience any problems 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) Failing the 10 second balance test had an 84% higher risk of dying within in the study period (12 yrs). This observational study didn’t declare cause/effect but suggested a link, a link that may encourage middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg daily! To be safe, Moriarty Chiropractic urges standing near to a tall chair to stabilize yourself if necessary. If you can only do 2 seconds today, keep practicing. you will do better as you practice! (2) Once you add a few seconds, 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 gauging test for postural sway. None were different in weight transfer. Younger ones 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 Nashua 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 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 measured 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 Moriarty Chiropractic

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.

Schedule your Nashua chiropractic appointment today. We look forward to hearing how much steadier you feel!