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Writer's picture Dr Clyde Jin

HELPING SENIORS TO AGE WELL IN A FAST-PACED SOCIETY

How One of The Most Frequently Utilized Forms of Complimentary Therapies Can Help You Live Better.





Isn’t it funny how as we age many of the maddening mantras our parents spruiked start to ring true?


Too true in fact.


And just like that, we find we have to do a range of exercises just to be able to get out of bed in the morning or to keep moving around like we are used to.


Yes, as we age, we have to work so much harder.


We have exercises for


▶ balance

▶ stiff joints

▶ sore backs

▶ that hip

▶ stiff knees


The list is never-ending.


So, being able to get a little help along the way is a good thing, right?


That is where chiropractic therapy comes in.


This natural health therapy gently allows your body to use its innate ability to heal itself, as it is meant to do.


Misalignment or #subluxation of the spine is behind so many of our ailments.




Not only does targeting a problem via spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) reduce pain, it does so by targeting the source of the pain rather than just masking the pain.




By working on the source of your pain, in many instances this pain stops occurring or at the least is greatly reduced.


All without using any heavy medications, which only dull the pain and do nothing to prevent #pain reoccurrence.


Most of us will find taking medications necessary as we reach a certain age, so avoiding any extra unnecessary meds will greatly benefit our body and overall health.



“But I have pain in strange places”


Our body can trick us at times by referring pain from the problem source to another part of our body.


One client of mine was suffering pain in her groin area.


To manage this, she did major groin stretches as the pain occurred. This worked for a time until it did not.


After consulting professionals, she found that the agony she was enduring was due to the bone-on-bone grinding in her hip.


Eventually, the only solution was a hip replacement.


So just because we have pain in one area does not mean that the problem is also in that area.


This is where the spine is so amazing.


So much can be “read” through the spine, allowing your chiropractor to then target only that area.


Pain-killing medication cannot selectively target pain like chiropractic therapy can.


Quality chiropractic care can improve your life, whether you are currently in pain or not.


Successful therapy will have you feeling better than you have in years.


As a preventative form of health care, chiropractic therapy can help those who start a regime early on, avoid many of the ailments most will suffer as they age.


There is also a range of therapies available within the chiropractic sphere.


In this instance, we will focus on the most commonly utilised therapies for seniors with the aim to:


reduce the proportion of older adults with functional

limitations


increase the ability of older adults with diminished physical

or cognitive function to partake in physical activities


reduce the instance of falling among seniors [1, 2].



As we age exercise becomes even more important. This is where “use it or lose it” really comes into play.


Sadly, many older Australians are either in too much pain or have severe mobility limitations preventing them from any form of physical exercise.


For these people, it really is a case of catch-22. Without exercise and movement, their conditions will worsen, not to mention the negative impact on their mental and emotional state.


Chiropractic therapy improves patient mobility and movement allowing them to undertake some form of exercise.


With most chiropractic therapy an exercise regime is also advocated. We curate the right programme for our clients and then guide them through the process.


woman on swiss ball with stretch band reinforcing arm movement
easy at home exercises to maintain senior mobility

All exercises are simple and not overly exertive to ensure clients will be able to do them at home without difficulty.


Data shows SMT can play an important role in the care of patients with spinal and peripheral joint pain and consequent dysfunction [12].


SMT can also take many forms, so for patients with a fear of

“cracking” we use tools such as the activator and

the flexion-distraction table.






If you are fearful of climbing onto a treatment table, we can provide one that you just walk up to and

we then lower it to its correct position.






Our population in Australia is ageing as we are living longer than ever before.


This is wonderful as long as our body allows us to keep doing what we love.


Chiropractic does not promise miracles so perhaps you’d best accept that twilight career on the trapeze might not happen.


It does however help you to become a better you.




1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Book Healthy People 2010:

Understanding and Improving Health. 2. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office;

2000. Healthy people 2010: understanding and improving health. [Google Scholar]

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Book Healthy People 2020. Washington:

U.S. Government Printing Office; 2011. Healthy people 2020. [Google Scholar]

3. Bokarius AV, Bokarius V. Evidence-based review of manual therapy efficacy in treatment

of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Pain Pract. 2010;10:451–458. doi:

10.1111/j.1533-2500.2010.00377.x. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]





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