How Chiropractic Management Can Help Your Balance Problems
October 1st, 2009 | by admin |Managing and preserving body position while remaining still or in motion is the principal function of good balance. Good balance helps someone to walk without faltering, arise from a sitting position without falling, and to climb stairs without slipping.
About 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, describe having difficulties with balance. Good balance is necessary in helping an older person to stay independent, and perform daily chores and activities. Dizziness, “wooziness,” and difficulties with balance are experienced by a large majority individuals as they grow older.
The sensation by some people that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning is called “vertigo.” About 40 percent of Americans will have an incidence of dizziness that is severe enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the leading cause of severe injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Conditions
Three types of balance disorders that are most familiar are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, but there are quite a few other types of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. It presents as a brief, intense feeling of vertigo when a person changes head position. It can likewise be noticed when rolling over to the left or right in bed, upon arising in the morning, or when looking up for an object on a high shelf. This problem is more likely to occur in persons 60 and older, but it can also occur in younger people.
The reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are varied. It may be caused by an inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging. Frequently times a simple Epleys procedure can correct the condition, but it can be linked to other disease processes. Your chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.
Labyrinthitis is an infection or inflammation of the inner ear that cause dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is unknown.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that produces vertigo, irregular hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Age is not the only explanation for why these problems take place, but older people are more likely to experience balance disorders. Treatment for balance disorders varies depending upon the cause. Sometimes, there’s a simple solution to balance challenges, such as simple exercises for vestibular rehab. A chiropractor is well-trained in analyzing and treating many of balance dysfunctions. Call a health care professional, such as your chiropractor, if you have undergone, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.
Whereas some balance disorders are created by problems in the inner ear, other disorders may involve another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation problems, upper respiratory infections and other viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease are all components that, along with aging and ear infection, may produce balance disorders.
Balance disorders created by high blood pressure can generally be managed by less sodium intake,sustaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To help in making the symptoms of dizziness less intense, most often eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.
Balance disorders are significant. It is the most prevalent cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is crucial to have a suspected balance disorder diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
If you can answer “yes” to any of the questions listed below, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:
• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Does the room seem to spin around you?
• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?
• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?
• Do you feel as if you are falling?
• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your chiropractor today.
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