Preventing Falls

Falls in elderly people can be preventable. Chiropractic care with the combination of balance exercises can help improve balance and reduce falls in elderly patients.

You may of thought the chiropractic adjustment was just about back pain, but the adjustment also changes the way your brain uses information. The chiropractic adjustment can also help improve position sense. Each joint of the spine has lots of sensors that tell the brain the position we are in. The adjustment activates these sensors and sends a flood of information to the brain. This flood of information helps the position sense and can help to improve balance.

In combination with chiropractic adjustments, balance exercises are also crucial for helping to prevent falls. As we age we tend to have more problems with balance due to loss of muscle mass, decreased joint stability, and the overall deterioration in our senses like vision and proprioception.

The following are some exercises to help improve balance and prevent falls:

• Balancing on 1 Leg: Practice balancing on 1 leg for 1 minute on each side. Once this becomes easy, try adding a challenge like closing your eyes.

• Use a Wobble Board or BOSU Ball: By balancing on an unbalanced surface you force your body to adapt.

• Squats: Squats can be done either single or two legs. Squat help train your body to adapt to different movements.

• Single Leg Ball Toss: While standing one leg, have a partner toss a ball back and forth. This will help challenge and train different muscle groups while trying to remain balanced.