Balance, Reflexes and Senior Health
It started out simple enough. My daughter, Estelle, wanted to go Ice
Skating for her 13th Birthday, and the youth group at our church was
planning an outing on Plymouth’s Mill Pond for Sunday afternoon. I glad obliged, and after spending $21 on
some skates at a local resale shop, Estelle, Emerin, and I headed down the
street to the Mill Pond.
Upon arrival, much to my pleasant surprise, the Mill Pond had skates to borrow
as well. It only took 3 attempts, and I
found a pair of decently-fitting hockey skates to use myself, and shortly
thereafter the three of us were on the ice.
I hadn’t been ice skating on the mill pond in 32 years, but as I slowly
got comfortable with it…I ventured in to a bit more speed, and managed to keep
my balance for the most part. Then,
after about 45 minutes of skating, I was feeling even more confident, and
that’s when my balance failed me.
While skating faster than I should have been, I realized I was out of my
comfort zone and attempted to just kind of ‘coast’ to slow down, but in the
process I hit something in the ice, and I went. Down. Fast.
And I broke the fall with my
face.
I’m only half kidding…as I know I
did get my hand out to the side, but the major impact happened on my left cheek
bone. And it hurt. I could immediately feel that something wasn’t
‘right’ with my teeth. I was mostly
expecting at least 1 or 2 of them to be missing, but thankfully they were all
still in my jaw…but just not aligned quite right.
As a chiropractor, I’m familiar with
things not being aligned correctly, but when it’s your TEETH…that is not a fun
feeling! I stood up, realized there was
no blood, and all my teeth were still in my mouth, and immediately texted my
dentists. Drs. Lara Devine and Mariah
Murphy responded almost instantly and helped me evaluate the situation, and I’m
so thankful for their help. I was in their
office on Monday, evaluated, and referred out for additional testing. Unfortunately, that additional testing revealed
3 fractures in my face (there goes my modeling career!) and a follow up at an
ophthalmologist for some vison changes.
All in all, it could have been a LOT worse. I’m very thankful for the dentists and
friends at Baus Family Dental, and I’m on the mend both teeth-wise, and facial
bones-wise!
Sad but true: As we get older, our
balance tends to deteriorate and our reflexes tend to slow. When you’re aware
that it’s happening, it can be very frustrating. But when you’re not aware of
these gradual changes, they can actually be dangerous as well. I should have
known better than to expect to be able to skate with significant speed after
only 45 minutes, after having taken over 3 decades off from ice skating. This, I believe, is an example of why women
live longer than men.
To a certain extent, decline in
balance and reflexes really is almost inevitable. However, there is some good
news. Even for middle-aged adults and seniors, there are numerous ways we can
help maintain or even improve our sense of balance. And staying active in your 20’s, 30’s, and
40’s will pay great dividends in the following decades.
The Relationship Between Balance,
Reflexes and Overall Well-Being
By the time we’re in our late 50s or
early 60s, many of us will begin to have episodes where we feel dizzy or
unsteady, or as if our surroundings are in motion. These feelings are triggered
by gradual deterioration in the three major systems that work together to
provide our balance and coordination— the visual system, the vestibular (inner
ear) system, and the proprioceptive system (the sense of body position in
space). A loss of balance makes falling more likely. And since our reflexes are
also slowing, it becomes less likely that we will be able to catch ourselves if
and when we do fall. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), roughly one-third of adults age 65 years and older fall each
year. And among older adults, falls are actually the leading cause of
injury-related deaths.
But even when they’re not fatal,
falls can have serious consequences for an older person’s health and lifestyle.
Falls can cause injuries that limit activity or make it more difficult to live
independently while recovering. And when recovery is slow or incomplete, a lack
of mobility can sometimes result in social isolation and depression. In some
circumstances, the psychological effects may be more long-lasting than the
physical ones. Fear of another fall and a loss of confidence can discourage
seniors from returning to an active life—which actually tends to make balance
and reflexes deteriorate faster. Unless something happens to change things,
this can be the beginning of a downward spiral.
What Can Be Done?
For starters, chiropractors are
specially trained to diagnose and treat conditions related to the
musculoskeletal and nerve systems, and have a deep understanding of how these
systems change as we age. As a chiropractor, I work to develop a personalized plan
to improve your overall musculoskeletal and nervous system health, including
strength, range of motion, stamina, balance, coordination and speed. And the adjustments help 'wake up' joints in
your body that may have been 'stuck' and not working. This, in turn, can increase that
proprioception and make you more aware of your body!
Regular chiropractic care and
massage therapy can be particularly useful in maintaining flexibility,
improving circulation and increasing muscle tone. Recent studies have identified strong links
between the lifestyle habits we practice in young adulthood and middle age and
overall health and wellness during our senior years. With this mind, a
chiropractor can recommend specific nutritional and exercise strategies that
can help in these key areas:
• Building healthy bone and muscle
mass as the foundation for an active lifestyle.
• Stimulating and reinforcing neural
pathways associated with activities requiring good balance and quick reflexes.
• Achieving a healthy weight that
reduces unnecessary wear-and-tear on joints.
• Maintaining good overall
cardiovascular fitness
Exercises to Improve Balance and
Reflexes
Fortunately, there is a wide variety
of exercises, both physical and mental, that will help improve balance and
reflexes. And most of them don’t even require a gym membership or any expensive
equipment! Here are just a few to
consider:
• If you know how much I enjoy it,
this first suggestion will come as no surprise to you. Get off the pavement…but maybe NOT on to the
ICE! When trail running or hiking in the
woods, your body will need to react quickly to the changing terrain, in the
form of obstacles likes rocks and roots, (or uneven footprints in the
soon-arriving snow) and uneven terrain. The more often you run in the forest,
the quicker your reflexes will get.
• Bouncing a rubber ball on the
floor, throwing it against a wall, or having a catch with a partner. These
activities will all improve anticipation, reaction time, hand-eye coordination
and lateral movement.
• Kicking a soccer ball back and
forth with a partner or against a wall. Moving to the ball builds coordination
while stopping it and striking it with either foot requires balance. The more
quickly you pass the ball back and forth, the more your reflexes will improve
over time.
• Practicing an appropriate form of
yoga can provide a wide range of health benefits, including improved balance
and coordination.
Remember—use common sense when
choosing your activities. Feel free to ask me for advice if you have any
specific health conditions or if it’s been a while since you participated in
any kind of strenuous physical activity, and you’re not sure where to start.
Maintaining your musculoskeletal and
nervous system health is one key to enjoying an active lifestyle at every stage
of life. We can design a program that
will help you do that safely. Call or visit our office to learn more!
You’ll never be younger than you are
RIGHT NOW. What does your future look
like?
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