Chiropractic care & fall prevention for the elderly

Why seeing a Chiropractor will help you in your later stages of life!

Around 30% of adults over 65 experience at least one fall per year, the Australian and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society claims. By 2051, it expects the cost of falls to rise to around $1.4 billion per year, an amount set to increase as the population rises. 

The most common cause of falls for those aged 65 and over, according to a 2018 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, was slipping, tripping and stumbling (34%) and falls from beds, chairs, steps and ladders accounted for a further 15%. The same report shows that more than 100,000 people in Australia over the age of 65 were hospitalised from falls in 2014-15, which represents a whopping 3% of all hospital admissions. Of these falls, a staggering 52% occurred in the home.

The World Health Organisation says that age is one of the key risk factors in the 37 million falls that need hospital treatment around the world each year. That’s because, as you get older, your muscles lose size and strength, your bones become less dense and your joint movement becomes stiffer and less flexible. Many of these age-related changes—particularly to joints—are caused by lack of exercise. Staying active is an important way to stay healthy.

A visit to a Chiropractor can help to keep you on the move. At Northern Spinal & Sports Injury Clinic, we use a range of techniques including mobilisation, soft tissue massage, dry needling, stretching, joint manipulation and exercises to keep your body in good shape. At an initial consultation, we’ll talk to you about your goals and your medical history and develop a plan of treatment that helps to keep you active well into your later years.

Common Conditions A Chiropractor Can Assist With:

Some of the common conditions we see in the older age group include:

• Osteoarthritis (OA): Osteoarthritis is not just ‘wear and tear’ or an inevitable part of aging. Osteoarthritis is a progressive condition that can cause pain, stiffness and functional limitation for those individuals suffering from it. Osteoarthritis can affect the joints, bones, cartilage, tissues within and around the joints, including the muscles.
• Inflammatory arthritis: Although inflammatory arthritis is less common than Osteoarthritis, they are both auto-immune diseases; where the body attacks its own bodily tissues by mistake resulting in inflammation, stiffness and joint point. The common forms of inflammatory arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.
• Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a condition in which an individual’s bones become fragile and brittle leading to a higher risk of fractures. It occurs when the bones lose minerals such as calcium quicker than the bones in your body can absorb them. This leads to a loss of bone density. Although often thought to only affect elderly people it can also affect young people too.

NORTHERN SPINAL & SPORTS INJURY CLINIC IN RESERVOIR & MELBOURNE CBD IS HERE TO HELP…

Call us now on 03 9470 1010 to book an appointment at our Melbourne CBD & Reservoir clinic.