Regulating and maintaining body position while staying still or mobile is the principal function of good balance. Good balance helps an individual to walk without staggering, arise from a sitting position without falling, and to climb stairs without slipping.
About 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, disclose having problems with balance. Good balance is essential in assisting an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. Quite a few older people, however, suffer from dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.
The sensation by individuals that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning is commonly referred to as “vertigo.” About 40 percent of individuals in the U.S. will encounter dizziness that is severe enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the prevailing cause of severe injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Conditions
Three types of balance disorders that are most prevalent are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease, although there are quite a few other types of balance disorders. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most prevalent. It takes place as a brief, intense feeling of vertigo when someone changes head position. It can likewise be felt 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 probable in individuals 60 and older, but it can also take place in younger individuals.
The causes for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo are diverse. Inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging can produce the condition. Many times times a simple Epleys procedure can correct the condition, but 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 inflammation of the inner ear that creates dizziness and loss of balance. It affects people|individuals of any age and the cause is currently undiscovered.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that causes vertigo, irregular hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Age is not the only reason these afflictions arise, but older individuals are more likely to experience balance disorders. Depending on the cause of the balance disorder, care will vary. Sometimes, there’s a simple answer to balance problems, such as simple exercises for vestibular rehab. A chiropractor is highly skilled in diagnosing and treating a number of balance problems. 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.
Although some balance disorders are caused by problems in the inner ear, other disorders may be associated with another part of the body, like the brain or the heart. Other influences, in addition to aging and ear infection, may include head injury, certain medicines, problems with blood circulation, upper respiratory infections, viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, stroke, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease.
Balance disorders produced by high blood pressure can normally be managed by less sodium intake,sustaining a healthy weight, and exercise. To assist in making the symptoms of dizziness less severe, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and staying away from 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 accessed 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.