Can Chiropractic Management Correct Balance Challenges?

Controlling and maintaining body position while staying still or mobile is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps someone to walk without staggering, arise from a sitting position without falling, and to climb stairs without tripping.

Nearly 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, report having difficulties with balance. Good balance is necessary in assisting an older person to stay independent, and perform daily chores and activities. Dizziness, “wooziness,” and challenges with balance are encountered by many persons as they age.

The term, vertigo, relates to the feeling that a number of people have that they, themselves, or the things around them are spinning. About 40 percent of people nationwide will have an incidence of dizziness that is serious 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 conventional are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, though there are many other types of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. It takes place as a brief, intense experience of vertigo when an individual changes head position. It can also 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 condition is more likely to occur in people 60 and older, however it can also occur in younger people.

The causes for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are multifarious. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the affliction. Frequently times a simple Epleys procedure can correct the affliction, though it can be linked to other disease processes. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or agitation of the inner ear that produces dizziness and loss of balance. It affects adults of any age and the cause is unknown.

Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss that comes and goes, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.

Though those over 65 years are more likely to experience balance disorders, age is not the only reason these problems occur. Therapy for balance disorders varies depending upon the cause. A chiropractor is well-trained in diagnosing and treating a large majority of the causes. Sometimes, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the answer to balance challenges. Consult a health care professional, such as your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other challenges with balance.

Not every balance disorders are produced by problems in the inner ear. Some may be associated with other areas of the body like the brain or 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 factors that, in addition to aging and ear infection, may create balance disorders.

Balance disorders caused by high blood pressure can usually be managed by less sodium intake,cultivating a healthy weight, and exercise. To aid in making the symptoms of dizziness less acute, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.

Balance disorders are dangerous. It is the primary cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is essential to have a suspected balance disorder analysed 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.