Many Seniors today believe that aging and pain are synonymous. While aging is a
natural part of our lives, pain in our bodies is a signal that something isn’t
right. Some diseases like arthritis can attack the joints and cause inflammation,
pain, and reduce our ability to move. However, the intensity or amount of pain that
you experience is often an unnecessary side effect, and there are ways to help
reduce or eliminate these problems. If you haven’t considered contacting a
chiropractor, then you should keep reading as there are several benefits that
chiropractors can offer you to increase your quality of life during your Golden
Years.
Pain relief is one of the most common reasons that any patient visits with their
chiropractor. While it is common to consider visiting a chiropractor for neck or
back pain, you may consider a consultation for any type of
discomfort.
Chiropractors commonly adjust the spinal column which
houses your brain stem and the nerves that travel throughout your body after
passing through your vertebrae. This means that if you are having discomfort
anywhere in your body, it may be resolved or reduced by making sure that the nerve
can easily pass signals to the brain.
Many seniors will tell you that aging commonly attacks their joints. Painful and
inflamed joints can restrict the body’s ability to move freely and over time, as
these muscles go unused, they begin to shrink and become weaker. After a visit with
their chiropractor, many senior golfers have found that they have gained distance in
their drives and gardeners find that they can finally collect their harvest
without pain for the first time in years.
As the bones and muscles in our necks begin to deteriorate, one of the first signs can be a change in our ability to maintain balance. There are specific structures called mechanoreceptors that reside in our cervical spine and are partially responsible for helping us maintain our balance. As we age, they often experience some minor defects. Chiropractic care has been shown to help restore and stimulate the mechanoreceptors function which leads to an increase in our ability to balance. Improved balance can also mean fewer falls and a decreased chance of injury.
If your spine is not aligned correctly, it can cause additional strain and wear on
many of our other joints. When we don’t hold proper body position, our legs, hips,
neck and other joints must compensate for this change. Over time this can cause
damage to the joints that lead to increased discomfort and a reduction in our
ability or desire to move. Chiropractic adjustments can help to bring the spine into
proper alignment which allows for correct body positioning and
reduced demand on the joints throughout the body which can leave you
feeling better and moving more.
A 1996 study suggested that patients who used chiropractic care to aid in their health, versus those who did not, received several benefits. These benefits include:
Less evidence of arthritis
Increased strenuous exercise levels
Fewer hospitalizations
Fewer falls
In fact, these patients also found that receiving chiropractic care may have even
influenced their ability to stay out of a nursing home. At a follow-up interview
three years after the study, only 5% of the patients who received chiropractic care
had moved to a nursing home compared to 48% of those who did not receive
care.
Chiropractic care has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for people of all ages. However, as our bodies age, we need to be increasingly cautious about the medications we take or the treatments that we use to maintain or improve our health. Chiropractic care is used for seniors, athletes, teens, adults, for those with injuries, pregnant women, and even babies. If you think that you may benefit from chiropractic care, schedule an appointment today.