Healthy Ageing
Healthy Ageing
With the decline in nervous system function from ageing, many older adults experience an increased rate of falls.
Although getting old may appear like an inevitable downward progression, there is actually something you can do about it - it’s called healthy ageing.
What is Healthy Ageing?
Healthy ageing focuses on maintaining mental and physical health and avoiding disease so that you can maintain independence and quality of life. Healthy ageing can feel like a big investment in your health, but the returns are rewarding. Chiropractic care can support older people with healthy ageing by helping them maintain and improve their overall function.
What does the research show?
Many research studies have shown that chiropractic care helps the brain become more accurately aware of what is going on inside your body and the world around you. This is probably why older adults who receive chiropractic care maintain their ability to carry out their activities of daily living, maintain their ability to live independently and look after themselves. A recent study focused on whether chiropractic care may help older adults improve their function in a way that could decrease their risk of falling. After twelve weeks the group who received chiropractic care had become better able to know where their ankle joint was when they closed their eyes. They were able to take a step much faster than the control group, and they also felt better than the control group.
Researchers have compared the effects of chiropractic care to standard medical care on health outcomes in over 1000 older adults with back conditions over a two year period. The people who received chiropractic care maintained their ability to carry out their activities of daily living and selfrated health status over a two year period compared to the people who received medical care.
This means the chiropractic group maintained their ability to live independently and maintained their health instead of it declining as it did in the medical group.
Research also suggests that patients who are managed by chiropractors compared to those managed medically take fewer drugs, require less surgery, and are less likely to be hospitalised. In a study published in 20077 researchers compared seven years of health claims from chiropractors to a similar group of health claims from medical doctors. What they found was a 60% decrease in hospital admissions, 62% decrease in outpatient surgery and procedures, and an 85% reduction in pharmaceutical costs for the patients managed by chiropractors. This may mean that chiropractic care for older adults will result in fewer drugs and less medical intervention. It suggests that chiropractic care may also enhance sensorimotor function associated with falls risk.
Chiropractic care can help older people to be more active, more independent, more healthy, and to feel better. For some older people chiropractic care can truly give them their life back!
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Disclaimer and References
This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be professional advice of any kind. Haavik Research Ltd encourages you to make your own health care decisions based on your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
1. Tinetti & Kumar. JAMA 2010;303(3):258-66. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.2024 2. Holt, et al. JMPT 2016 doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.003 3. Weigel, et al. JMPT 2014;37(3):143- 54. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2013.12.009 4. Haavik & Murphy. JMPT. Feb 2011;34(2):88-97. 5. Wiener, et al. J Gerontol 1990;45(6):S229-37. 6. Milte & Crotty. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2014;28(3):395-410. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2014.07.005 7. Sarnat, et al. JMPT 2007;30(4):263-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2007.03.004
© Haavik Research 2021
Dr. Heidi Haavik
BSc(Physiol), BSc(Chiro) PhD
Dr. Kelly Holt
BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD
Dr. Jenna Duehr
BChiro, BHSc(Nursing), MHSc
