La Grande Chiropractic Tip: Practice Balance Every Day !
“I’m just not as balanced as I once was.”
This is not an unusual conversation starter at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC from our La Grande chiropractic patients and/or their family members. Balance is key to prevent falls and associated issues that may come with a fall…like breaking something! Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC 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 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 of age who did not have any issues with walking found that 20.4% could not perform a 10 second one-legged-stand which tended to intensify 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 period (12 yrs). This observational study did not declare cause/effect but suggested a connection, a link that may encourage middle and older age folks to practice standing on one leg every day! To be safe, Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC urges standing near to a counter to catch yourself if necessary. If you can only do 2 seconds today, keep working on it. You’ll do better as you practice! (2) Once you see some improvement, you’ll 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 differed in weight transfer. 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 designed one-leg-stance test determined the “fallers” better – 100% - than other more common tests 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 La Grande chiropractor in determining baseline balance.
ROLE OF CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION IN MOVEMENT CONTROL
A newly published paper described the benefit 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 realize how well we can enhance your balance!
CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
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 La Grande chiropractic appointment today. We look forward to hearing how much steadier you are!
