Chiropractic Care and Seniors

When I was 16 years old, the instructor of my religion class asked how long I wanted to live. I stated that 80 years old sounded like a good life. He then said, so at 80 years old and one day, you’d be willing to accept death freely. I said heck no! His question was life altering. It made me really think not only about how long I truly wanted to live, but also about exactly how healthy I wanted to be – how active I wanted to remain – how much and how long did I want to “enjoy” life, no matter the longevity I would be blessed to have. Thus started my obsession and my career in Chiropractic Care.

There are many benefits and advantages available to seniors through chiropractic care, including pain relief, increased range of motion, increased balance and coordination, decreased joint degeneration, increased health and wellbeing, and decreased incidence of falling. Most important, active and healthy seniors tend to live independently, without the assistance of nursing homes.

Seniors experiencing problems related to misalignment of the spine may benefit from chiropractic care. While there are many myths about the safety of chiropractic care, in reality this type of medical treatment is very effective and quite safe, particularly in comparison to alternative treatments such as surgery and drug therapy. Most of all, it helps senior citizens continue to live on their own. Because chiropractic care can bring back a sense of health and wellness, seniors regain their self-confidence.

In many cases, an instantaneous increase in the range of movement follows chiropractic adjustments. This explains why professional sports teams have a team chiropractor. An increased range of motion can positively impact seniors in many ways. Having an increased range of motion to some could mean being able to lean down to lift up their grandchildren. To others, it could mean having no pain, doing some gardening chores, or adding 40 yards to their drive on the golf course.

Senior citizens are prone to injuries from falling. Most Americans over 65 years of age have suffered a falling incidence. About 90% of 850,000 bone breakages are brought about by falls, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention. By regularizing the cervical spine's mechanoreceptors via manual manipulation, the danger of falling is minimized.

To this day, I still think about that provocative question posed to me at 16 years of age. I think it was one of the motivating factors in choosing my career. Although I love helping everyone enjoy a more active life, I always take the most pleasure in knowing that I gave a grandparent the ability to get down on the floor with his or her grandkids… and to get back up again.