In Canada, complications from falls are the 5th leading cause of death for senior citizens. One in three Canadians over 65 years old, suffer from a fall each year. Ten percent of those will cause a serious injury. It is estimated that falls cost the American health system $20 billion every year. Obviously, they are a serious problem.
Muscle Loss
Bone loss (osteopenia) has received much attention, in the medical system and pharmaceutical research, for this reason. Avoiding the fall, in the first place, seems to get less attention. Muscle loss with age (sarcopenia) causes weakness, which makes falls more likely. This increasing weakness can be avoided with some simple, regular exercise. Some great suggested exercises can be found at www.fitin15.ca and www.chiropractic.on.ca/health-tips.
Balance
Another important factor to consider is balance. There are some simple exercises people can do to improve their balance, and chiropractic care plays an important role. Your body has sensors in all the tendons, muscles and joints which send messages to the brain telling it where you are in space. You can shut your eyes and touch your nose, and not fall over because of this system (called proprioception). If your spine is not moving correctly, this system does not work accurately, and your balance will suffer. In that way chiropractors can play a huge roll in helping elderly patients avoid a fall.