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Chiropractic care for Seniors a research review-

Chiropractors have helped seniors since the start of chiropractic.  As we age it is assumed we will loose some of our physical abilities. Chiropractic has been proven to slow this process down.  Two of the areas Chiropractic has helped with is posture and balance.  If post and balance are good the risk of falls decreases.

Extension

When you see someone near the end of their life, or after a major healthcare scare, they have a few common characteristics. The first one we notice is their posture.  The posture is usually more in flexion vs extension.  You might call this the fetal position. They are hunched over and arms and hands are flexed in.  Forward head posture is noted, this is when the ears are in front of the shoulders. Often these people also prefer to sit.  The negative with sitting is the action of sitting promotes more of the flexion posture.  This is a bad road that often can process fast.

Proprioception

Proprioception is knowing where you are in space.  Let’s do an experiment.  Take your hand and stick it out in front of you.  You know where your hand is because you can see it correct?  Next let’s put you hand behind your waist. You still know where it is correct?  Even though you can not see it?  Knowing where something is when you can not feel it or see it is called proprioception. Many call proprioception our sixth sense.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care has been proven to help with both extension and proprioception. So seeing your chiropractor will aid with your ability to avoid the flexion posture.  Chiropractic adjustments with stretches and exercise can correct some of the stressor s that create the flexion.  We have also know that after each chiropractic adjustment there is improvement with proprioception. This is why so many athletes have sought chiropractic care prior to a big game.

Falls

This all leads us to the risk of falls.  If you are looking down with bad posture and have poor proprioception, one could imagine falling being a big risk.  In fact falls are a big risk for seniors.  This is why Chiropractic care is important for seniors.  If you know someone who you fear might be a high risk for falls, getting them to the chiropractor could be a way to help them.