Posts Tagged ‘falls’
At my Cincinnati Chiropractic Clinic I treat plenty of elders who suffer from balance problems. In fact, 9% of adults, aged 65 and older, are affected by dizziness, “wooziness,” and other balance-related problems. Good balance is essential, of course, in helping older adults to continue to be independent and in avoiding falls and incurring injuries that are frequently extremely serious or even fatal. But, what you may not know is that falls produce a large number of work-related injuries for individuals under 65 years of age, including workers in their twenties and thirties. That’s right! Balance difficulties can take place at any age. 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 required are far more vulnerable to serious injury if their balance is “off.”
The most important activity of good balance is to aid us in managing and maintaining our body position, whether we are standing still or moving, and whether we are on the ground or high up on a platform. Good balance assists us in walking without staggering, arising from a sitting position without swaying, and in climbing stairs without tripping. It is obvious, then, that good balance is vital to our health and well-being.
What you may not have realized, however, could have a balance problem without any idea of how significant it may be. Sometimes a person can “shake off” a dizzy sensation and the sensation may not return for a while. The danger is that when sudden dizziness occurs at a critical moment, it is too late to shake it off and a fall is often certain.
The sensation by some people that they, personally, are spinning or that things around them are moving is called “vertigo.” Close to 40% of people in the U.S. will have at least one episode of dizziness that is serious 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 extremely good idea for you to see a chiropractor to have your balance checked prior to an acute episode of dizziness, rather than as a response to such an episode. Why? Because as a chiropractor, I can not only check your balance, and make corrections if necessary, but can aid you in maintaining good balance in the future. And, it may go without saying that having good balance may save you from serious injury or worse.
Balance disorders at any age are serious. If you think that you may 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, it is highly recommended that you 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?
Remember: Balance problems are not specific 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 All the more reason to have your balance checked if you work in a job that makes your falling down a “critical” issue. Don’t wait until you sustain a work injury! If you’re in the Cincinnati area, give Cincinnati Chiropractic a call today!