As a Cincinnati Chiropractor I treat plenty of older adults who are challenged by balance problems. In fact, nine percent of adults, aged 65 and over, experience dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related conditions. Good balance is crucial, of course, in aiding older adults to remain independent and to avoid falling down and encounter injuries that are commonly very serious or even fatal. But, it may surprise you to know that falls produce a large percentage of work-related injuries for workers younger than 65 years of age, including individuals in their twenties and thirties. That’s right! No one is exempt from to balance problems, no matter how young they may be. It is for this reason that those who work at “dangerous heights” like construction workers, roofers, oil platform employees, windows cleaners, or any other place where a ladder is involved are far more vulnerable to serious injury if their balance isn’t good.
The essential activity of good balance is to aid us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether standing still or moving, and whether on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance assists us in walking without stumbling, arising from a sitting position without swaying, and in climbing stairs without missing a step. It is obvious, then, that good balance is crucial to our health and well-being.
What is frequently surprising to some individuals is that they could have a balance abnormality without realizing how significant it is. Often times a person may be able to “shake off” a dizzy sensation and it may not come back for a while. However when sudden dizziness comes about at a decisive time, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is usually unpreventable.
The feeling by some people that they, personally, are spinning or that objects around them are moving is termed “vertigo.” Close to 40 percent of people in the U.S. will have at least one episode of dizziness that is acute enough to seek out a health professional, such as your Chiropractor in Cincinnati. But, if you work at any of the jobs listed above, it is an excellent idea for you to see a chiropractor to have your balance checked prior to an acute episode of dizziness, instead of as a response to such an episode. Why? Because as a chiropractor, I can not only check your balance, and make adjustments if needed, but can help you to maintain good balance in the future. And, of course, having good balance may save you from serious injury or worse.
Balance disorders at any age are risky. If you feel as if you might have a possible balance disorder, it is crucial for you to be diagnosed and treated without delay. To help to make your decision easier if you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, even if the experience is seldom or infrequent, you should discuss the symptom(s) with a chiropractor as soon as possible:
• Have you experienced a feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Has the room seemed to spin around you?
• Has there ever a time when you felt as if you were moving when you knew you were standing still?
• Have you lost your balance and/or fallen down?
• Have you ever felt as if you were falling?
• Has your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Have you ever felt disoriented, or lost a sense of time, place or identity?
As discussed above, balance problems are not confined to a particular age group. Our falling down is an ever-present possibility from the time we learn to walk until we take our final step If you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” event, you need to have your balance checked. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call a Chiropractor today, and if you’re in the Cincinnati area, I’d love to be your Cincinnati Chiropractor!