Can San Diego Chiropractic Care Help With Balance Problems?

By admin · Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Low-force Adjustment

Good balance is absolutely necessary for an individual to be able to manage and keep body position while moving or remaining still. Good balance helps a person to walk without faltering, arise from a sitting position without tottering, and to climb stairs without tripping.

About 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, report having problems with balance. Good balance is necessary in aiding an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. A large majority older people, however, undergo dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.

The name, vertigo, relates to the experience that a number of people have that they, themselves, or the things around them are spinning. About 40 percent of individuals in the U.S. will encounter dizziness that is severe enough to go seek medical assistance. And, among older adults, falls are the most widespread cause of severe injury and deaths.

Balance and Inner Ear Conditions

There are quite a few kinds of balance disorders. Three customary types are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. It occurs as a brief, intense experience of vertigo when a person changes head position. It can additionally be noticed when rolling over to the left or right in bed, upon getting out of bed in the morning, or when looking up for something on a high shelf. This problem is more likely to happen in individuals 60 and older, but it can also take place in younger individuals.

There are an assortment of basis for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It may be caused by an inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging. Many times times a simple Epleys procedure can correct the condition, but it can be connected with other disease processes. Your San Diego Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.

Labyrinthitis is an infection or iagitation of the inner ear that creates 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 irregular, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.

Even though those over 65 years are more likely to encounter balance disorders, age is not the only explanation for why these problems occur. Depending on the cause of the balance disorder, care will vary. A chiropractor is well-trained in assessing and treating many of the causes. Sometimes, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the solution to balance challenges. Call a health care professional, such as your San Diego Chiropractor, if you have experienced, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other problems with balance.

Whereas some balance disorders are caused by problems in the inner ear, other disorders may include another part of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation challenges, 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 create balance disorders.

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

Balance disorders are serious. It is the most prevalent cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is crucial to have a possible balance disorder diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.

If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, 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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