Cincinnati Chiropractor

As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I treat plenty of elders who suffer from balance problems. In fact, dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related challenges affect at least nine percent of adults, aged 65 and older. Good balance is essential, of course, in aiding older adults to stay independent and to avoid falling down and incurring injuries that are commonly very serious or even fatal. But, did you know that falls are the cause of a large percentage of work injuries for adults younger than 65 years of age, including those in their twenties and thirties? That’s right! No one is exempt from to balance problems, no matter how young they may be. In fact, those who work in “high places” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or any other place where a ladder is involved are far more vulnerable to serious injury if their balance isn’t good.

The essential function of good balance is to help us to manage and maintain our body position, whether we are standing still or moving, and whether we are on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance aids us in walking without staggering, arising from a sitting position without tottering, and in climbing stairs without missing a step. 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 being aware of how serious it is. On occasion an individual may be able to “shake off” a dizzy feeling and it may not return for a while. But, when unexpected dizziness happens at a decisive time, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is most likely certain.

The sensation by some individuals that they, personally, are spinning or that things around them are moving is termed “vertigo.” Nearly 40% of individuals in the U.S. will have at least one incidence of dizziness that is distressing enough to seek out help from a health professional, like your Chiropractor at Cincinnati Chiropractic. However, if you work at any of the jobs listed above, having a chiropractor check your balance prior to a distinct episode of vertigo, make adjustments if needed, and then help you to maintain good balance, may save you from serious injury or worse.

Balance disorders at any age are dangerous. It is essential for you to be diagnosed and treated without delay if you believe that you may have a possible balance disorder. Often guidelines are helpful. Therefore, 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 specific 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!

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