As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I treat a lot of seniors who are affected by balance problems. In fact, dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related challenges affect at least 9% of adults, aged 65 and over. Good balance is crucial, of course, in assisting seniors to continue to be independent and to avoid falling down and encounter injuries that are commonly very serious or even fatal. But, I wonder if you are aware that falls contribute to a large portion of work injuries for individuals under 65 years of age, including workers in their twenties and thirties? That’s right! No one is immune to balance problems, no matter what their age may be. It is for this reason that those who work in “high places” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or anywhere else where a ladder is required are in danger of serious injury if their balance is “off.”
The primary action of good balance is to aid us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether standing still or moving, and whether on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance helps us to walk without stumbling, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without tripping. In other words, good balance is crucial to our health and well-being.
What you may not have realized, however, could have a balance dysfunction without realizing how significant it may be. On occasion a person is able to “shake off” a dizzy feeling and the sensation may not reoccur for a while. However when sudden dizziness comes about at a decisive moment, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is usually certain.
The sensation by some people that they, personally, are spinning or that things around them are moving is termed “vertigo.” About 40 percent of people in the U.S. will have at least one experience of dizziness that is distressing enough to seek out help from a health professional, such as your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. However, if you are involved in any of the activities listed above, having a chiropractor check your balance before an episode of dizziness, make adjustments if needed, and then aid you in maintaining good balance, may save you from serious injury or worse.
Balance disorders at any age are serious. It is crucial for you to be examined and treated quickly if you think that you may have a possible balance disorder. In fact, if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, it is highly recommended that you discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:
• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Has the room seemed to spin around you?
• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?
• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?
• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?
• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?
Remember: Balance problems are not isolated to a particular age group. From the time we learn to walk until we take our final step, our falling down is possible. If you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” event, you need to have your balance checked. Don’t wait until it’s too late! If you’re in the area, give your Cincinnati Chiropractor a call today. I can help!