Chiropractic and falls risk in older adults
There has been much interest, and more research, over the last ten years in relation to Chiropractic and how it may influence brain function.
In this blog we look at falls risk in adults over age 65, and whether Chiropractic may affect falls risk.
This New Zealand study looked at the risk of falls in this age group, after 12 weeks of Chiropractic care, and compared the risk to those who didn’t have Chiropractic. 60 people were assessed in the study.
The measures that the authors looked at included:
- proprioception (ankle joint position sense
- postural stability
- sensorimotor function (choice stepping reaction time)
- multisensory integration (sound-induced flash illusion)
- health-related quality of life (SF-36).
The study found that over 12 weeks of care the chiropractic group improved in all of the above measures.
This indicates that Chiropractic care may improve the underlying sensori-motor function in those over age 65. In addition, quality of life measures also increased.
Further research is required to further investigate this area, and study whether Chiropractic could have an influence on actual falls risk in older adults.
References:
Holt, K.R.; Haavik, H.; Lee, A.C.L.; Murphy, B.; Elley, C.R. Effectiveness of chiropractic care to improve sensorimotor function associated with falls risk in older people: A randomized controlled trial. J. Manip.Physiol. Ther. 2016, 39, 267–278.
