As people age, there are unique health challenges that they may come across. This can include arthritis, brittle bones, reduced flexibility and balance, and even joint degeneration. Chiropractic care provides a drug-free and non-invasive solution to help seniors achieve the best quality of life possible. With better health and well-being, it will be easier for seniors to keep doing what they love. Keep reading to discover how chiropractic can help seniors achieve optimal health and well-being.
Reduced Pain
Whether it’s due to an injury, illness, or recent surgery, most seniors experience pain on a regular basis. This pain can prevent them from enjoying life and spending time with their loved ones. Chiropractic care provides natural, lasting pain relief without any drugs or risky surgeries that are expensive and come with harsh side effects. Indeed, chiropractors will focus on finding and treating the source of patients’ pain. This is often caused by a spine misalignment, which can lead to pain, discomfort, and even illness. After the spine is restored to proper alignment, the chiropractor will then focus on reducing or removing any pain and discomfort. This may include muscle tightness or joint stiffness. When a patient is not in pain, they will find it easier to build up their strength and take on life with more energy.
Better Balance and Coordination
As people naturally age, it’s normal that their balance and coordination changes overtime. This can be due to an injury or degenerative changes in the cervical spine (neck region). Small receptors at the base of the neck are responsible for helping the brain know where the limbs are functioning. For seniors, these receptors don’t function as well as they used to. This makes it challenging for the receptors to understand how the body is moving. Thus, this may cause falls, as well as reduced balance and mobility. Chiropractic care is a safe, effective treatment that can improve the communication in the spine and promote the receptors to work better. When these receptors work properly, seniors will then experience improved balance and coordination.
Improved Range of Motion
A common concern for seniors is a decreased range of motion. This can limit their ability to do what they love, such as gardening, traveling, playing with grandkids, or golfing. Chiropractic can help improve a patient’s range of motion and lower the risk of experiencing pain. Indeed, this will have a positive effect on their everyday life. Chiropractors will restore the spine and joints into proper alignment, as well as reduce any muscle tightness and improve their flexibility. The chiropractor may also recommend exercises to strengthen a patient’s muscles to help boost their range of motion even more.
Better Health
When seniors receive regular chiropractic care, this has a positive ripple effect on their health. Aside from the benefits mentioned in the article, seniors may also notice improvements to their sleep, mood, and energy levels. By feeling more rested and energized, patients will find it easier to obtain lasting health and wellness. Indeed, this can be achieved without any harsh drugs and their known side effects, like blurry vision, confusion, dizziness, and stomach issues. These side effects are the last thing anyone needs, especially the aging that already face new health challenges.
Stay Independent
When seniors take control of their health and well-being, they are more likely to be able to safely live at home. Since maintaining one’s independence is a top priority for seniors, this is a major benefit of chiropractic care. Indeed, patients that receive chiropractic adjustments will be less likely to become injured or fall. These injuries can lead to costly hospital or ER visits and potentially moving into a nursing or assisted living home. In a 1996 study about the benefits of chiropractic and exercise for the elderly, Dr. Ian Coulter found a positive connection between this holistic care and a patient’s ability to live at home. Dr. Coulter observed that after three years of receiving chiropractic care, only 5 percent of the seniors in the study lived in nursing homes compared to 48 percent of seniors that did not receive chiropractic lived in nursing homes.
We hope you found this week’s article helpful, especially if you or a loved one are considering chiropractic. There are several benefits of chiropractic for seniors, which is an all-natural approach to health that is safe, effective, and doesn’t require harsh drugs or invasive surgeries to work well. If you are interested in chiropractic, we encourage you to check out At Last Chiropractic today. We would love to become your new Lithia chiropractors and help you achieve optimal health!
