Balance and Coordination Problems Don’t Just Effect Our Athletic Performance.

These Are Health Problems That Can Have Very Serious Implications.

Our nervous system coordinates our body’s activity and movement, allowing us to move safely in our environment and know where our body parts are as we move.

Our nervous system relies upon a constant input from different systems in our body to tell us where we are and how we are moving.

Much of the input our nervous system uses is from our musculoskeletal system.

Our central nervous system processes the information it receives and then makes decisions about how to continue.

The brain must cause contractions in various muscles while relaxing other muscles.

There is much more going on than we realize because most of this is subconsciously done.

If there is a breakdown in the system, then we can lose both appropriate input and output that causes coordination problems.

A healthy, good communication between the brain and body is required to maintain both health and movement.

If we have problems here, we might develop dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, poor coordination, and much more.

Chiropractors can evaluate this relationship to improve balance and function.

Our spine and nervous system is forever linked.

It must be because one of the primary missions of our nervous system is to allow us to move.

The spine is important for every movement we make.

There is more to it though…

The spine houses part of the central nervous system, the spinal cord.

This allows a 2 way communication channel between the body and the brain that carries so much information.

It’s not just the sensation of what we feel in the periphery and know where we are… or the motor nerves that allow us to control our muscular system.

It also carries the vital autonomic nervous system which controls our organs and blood flow.

Abnormal spinal movement of any vertebrae will impact and distort the information our brain needs to perform various tasks including balance and coordination.

These losses are often subtle, but they can have significant impact in how we function because of the distorted input into the brain results in problems with the brain’s ability to coordinate activity.

Essentially the brain receives a false sense of reality when there are dysfunctional joints.

These often cause changes in sensorimotor integration and processing that we here so much about in kids with behavioral issues, ADHD, and more.

This changes how we know where we are and how we move… walk, bend, twist, reach, and carry.

Chiropractors focus on how this relationship between the spine and the nervous system is working and have different methods for improving it’s dysfunction.

Chiropractic patients improve their mobility, coordination, and balance.

This is important in everyone ranging from kids to athletes.

Athletes often see great improvements in their performance with chiropractic care because we can address even small dysfunctions that impact their movements.

Of course this is critically important in older people where falls are a very serious problem.

In the elderly, falls can be crippling and even deadly.

According to the CDC (from the website referenced at the bottom),

“As the U.S. population gets older, the number of hip fractures is likely to go up. Each year over 300,000 people 65 and older are hospitalized for hip fractures. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling.”

• One out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury.
• Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.
• Over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury, most often because of a head injury or hip fracture.
• Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.
• More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling, usually by falling sideways.
• Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
• In 2015, the total medical costs for falls totaled more than $50 billion. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.

Falls are the leading cause of injury on our elderly.

The loss of balance and coordination is a major health risk that causes disability and death in the elderly.

Chiropractic Improves Balance, Coordination, and Movement

A 2016 study showed people under Chiropractic Care had:

• a reduced risk of falls,
• improved reaction times,
• a better sense of joint position (where they are in space),
• and a better quality of life.

Chiropractic care focuses on the health and function of our entire body, with special emphasis on the neuro-musculoskeletal system.

It’s this relationship that allows Chiropractic patients to see improvement in many areas of their health that might not necessarily be thought of when someone thinks of Chiropractic…

Like balance and coordination as shown in the study referenced.

References

• https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
• https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(16)00050-6/fulltext. Holt K., Haavik H., Lee A., Murphy B., Elley C., (2016) Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care to Improve Sensorimotor Function Associated with Falls Risk in Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 39(4) 267-278.