Enjoy your golden years with a little bit of help.

 

As we age, our bones become more fragile, our joints become less flexible and we even lose a bit of muscular strength. With health struggles surfacing over time, we need to look for ways to make these issues easier to handle. Some may not know that chiropractic care can be a way to tackle them.

Dr Matt Kan, senior consultant and CEO of Chiropractic First, sheds some light on some questions and answers:

Does chiropractic care help with back pain?

Body aches are normal in seniors and some of the more usual pains that they face are backaches which can be addressed with chiropractic care. In fact, studies have shown that the most common reason for seniors to visit a chiropractor is due to musculoskeletal pain such as lower back pain.

As chiropractic adjustments help to improve flow in the central nervous system (CNS), such treatments help to reduce pain and correct spinal misalignments in order to restore the flow in the CNS. This allows the body to be relieved of pain and alleviates the body’s pain tolerance.

My joint pains are affecting my daily activities. Can chiropractic care help with this?

As seniors age, helping them maintain their flexibility and range of motion results in a better quality of life. This allows them to continue doing the things they enjoy and are less likely to develop pain from those activities.

When pressure is released from the joints, restrictions improve which allows for increased range of motion. This is especially important in seniors who often experience joint pains which occur due to wear and tear when the bones rub against each other, possibly leading to pain, stiffness and swelling.

What about balance and coordination? My lack of balance is causing me to be at risk of falling. 

Being at risk of falls is normally the cause of weaker joints and muscles that come with age. This can result in poor posture and spinal misalignments which can contribute to the lack of balance and coordination in seniors. This creates a need for seniors to improve their balance in order to avoid injuries from falls.

As chiropractic care increases the range of motion in the joints and reduces the tightness of muscles and ligaments, seniors will be able to exercise better posture. Thus, this helps in enhancing balance and coordination, resulting in a reduced risk of falling.

Are there medications for this form of treatment?

At an older age, it’s normal to be on not one, not two but multiple medications. Being on various medications can have side effects affecting your daily routines.

While you are allowed to take medications along with these treatments, chiropractic care is generally a non-invasive form of care. This means that they use hands-on therapy to treat nerve, muscle and joint problems. Unlike painkillers, such treatments allow you to fix the underlying issue rather than mask it with medication.

How can chiropractic care be beneficial for my long-term health? 

As spinal manipulation from a chiropractic treatment restores the function of the CNS, it helps in improving the overall health of the body. Spinal misalignments can cause sleep problems and low moods due to the discomfort it brings. In the long run, this can result in pain around the body including the spine, neck, hips and legs.

Through regular chiropractic care, you could improve joint mobility, stronger muscles and an improved immune system. Since these adjustments help improve the CNS, you would also benefit from increased energy, improved moods and less stress. All in all, going for regular treatments can impact your overall long-term health. Therefore, chiropractic care allows seniors to lead healthier and more comfortable lives.

 

(** PHOTO CREDIT: Pexels/Rodnae Productions)