McKinney Chiropractor Best Practices

Research Commentary;

Protect From Falls with Chiropractic!

Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care to Improve Sensorimotor Function Associated With Falls Risk in Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial

A review of

Kelly R. Holt, Heidi Haavik, Arier Chi Lun Lee, Bernadette Murphy, C. Raina Elley, Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care to Improve Sensorimotor Function Associated With Falls Risk in Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2016, Pages 267-278

By Dr. Bryan Stephens

Summarized Review Conclusions

While falling is never fun, it can be especially dangerous in the older population. Falling is the leading cause of injury related death for people older than 65. Along with the danger, it creates a stressor that further lowers the quality of life. This was something I saw happen with my own Grandfather about a year ago. He slipped on some ice and ended up breaking his leg. One thing to know about him, he was an avid golfer. He found time every week to go hit golf balls or play a round with some friends. Doesn’t seem like much until you realize he lived in Buffalo, New York and would play in the snow if the course was open. He never did return to hitting golf balls after his fall and ended up passing a few months later.

This research hits close to home.

The authors broke down a few factors to measure overall balance and how chiropractic might benefit the older community. Significant improvements were seen in sensorimotor function (choice stepping reaction time or CSRT), multisensory integration, proprioception (ankle joint position sense), and quality of life. Broken down, that means the factors associated with fall-risk improved.

“Falls account for more than 80% of injury-related hospital admissions in people older than 65 years.”

“The key findings in this study were that improvements were observed in the chiropractic group in joint position sense error, sound-induced flash illusion, and CSRT compared with the control group”

“Sensorimotor function and multisensory integration associated with fall risk and the physical component of quality of life improved in older adults receiving chiropractic care compared with control”

Introduction to the Research

This study focused on the effect of chiropractic intervention among the elderly on balance over a 12-week time period. Different variables were measured to focus on fall-risk associated with those living in a community-dwelling facility.

Research Methodology

Baseline readings were taken on 60 subjects older than 65 years of age. They were separated into groups of chiropractic care (high velocity low amplitude, table assisted, and tool assisted) as well as usual care as the control. Usual care was defined as any usual care participants required, or wished to engage in, during the course of the study. Measurements for Joint position sense, choice stepping reaction time, postural stability, multisensory processing, and health-related quality of life were measured at baseline, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks of care.

Research Findings

Statistically significant improvements were noted in joint position sense, choice stepping reaction time, health related quality of life, and multisensory processing between the care and control groups. CSRT improvement was noted at 12 weeks while 4-week comparisons were not significant. Postural stability was not found to be significantly affected during the study as it was scored upon a pass/fail balance test and most subjects were unable to hold the position with eyes closed for the required time throughout the study. In my opinion, it is important to note the big change between the 4 and 12 week improvements noted in the CSRT as they suggest “longer-term chiropractic care may be required to have a significant improvement on some physiologically important aspects of sensorimotor function.”

Research References

As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.

Our Message

At our McKinney location, located near the corner of Eldorado Pkwy. and Ridge Rd., we are here to help you get out of pain! Our Chiropractors will relieve your pain through Chiropractic adjustments and teaching the proper form for exercises. We also look at nutrition to make sure you are getting the proper nutrients while helping you manage stress to give your body the best fighting chance against pain and disease!

TexasChiroHealthMcKinney On December 15, 2021 / How We Move

Chiropractic Care Can Help Protect Your From Falls