Santa Barbara Chiropractor: 10 Most Frequent Questions
Controlling and maintaining body position while remaining still orin motion is the essential function of good balance. Good balance helps someone to walk without staggering, arise from a sitting position without slipping, and to climb stairs without tripping.
Nearly 9 percent of adults, age 65 and older, disclose having problems with balance. Good balance is vital in aiding an older person to stay independent, and implement daily chores and activities. Quite a few older men and women, however, experience dizziness, “wooziness,” and problems with balance.
The label, vertigo, refers to the sensation that a number of people have that they, themselves, or their environment is spinning. About 40 percent of individuals in the U.S. will encounter dizziness that is severe enough to go seek out a health professional. And, among older adults, falls are the leading cause of extreme injury and deaths.
Balance and Inner Ear Challenges
There are many types of balance disorders. Three conventional types are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis, and Meniere’s disease. Of these three, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common. It presents as a brief, intense experience of vertigo when an individual changes head position. It can additionally be noticed when rolling over to the left or right in bed, upon getting out of bed in the morning, or when looking up for something on a high shelf. This affliction is more likely to happen in individuals 60 and older, but it can also happen in younger people.
There are diverse reasons for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. It may be created by an inner ear infection, head injury, or simply aging. Whereas it can be linked to other disease processes, often a simple Epleys procedure can fix the affliction. Your Santa Barbara Chiropractor has many years of experience in this procedure.
Labyrinthitis is an infection or iinflammation of the inner ear that cause dizziness and loss of balance. It affects adults of any age and the cause is uncertain.
Ménière’s disease is a balance disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss inconsistent, tinnitus (ringing or roaring in the ears), and a “full feeling” in the ear.
Though those over 65 years are more likely to experience balance disorders, age is not the only explanation for why these problems happen. Therapy for balance disorders varies depending upon the cause. A chiropractor is well-educated in assessing and treating a large majority of the causes. On occasion, even simple exercises for vestibular rehab can be the solution to balance challenges. Call a health care professional, such as your Santa Barbara Chiropractor, if you have undergone, or are currently experiencing, dizziness, vertigo, or other problems with balance.
While some balance disorders are created by challenges in the inner ear, other disorders may include another area of the body, such as the brain or the heart. Head injury, stroke, certain medicines, circulation challenges, upper respiratory infections and other viral infections, stress, fatigue, smoking, alcohol use, high or low blood pressure, and heart disease are all components that, along with aging and ear infection, may create balance disorders.
Balance disorders produced by high blood pressure can generally be managed by less sodium intake,cultivating a healthy weight, and exercise. To assist in making the symptoms of dizziness less severe, frequently eating low-salt or salt-free foods, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, will help.
Balance disorders are dangerous. It is the primary cause of falls and fall-related injuries in older people. It is essential to have a suspected balance disorder diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.
If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should discuss the symptom(s) with your chiropractor:
• Do you have the feeling of being “unsteady?”
• Does the room seem to spin around you?
• Is there ever a time when you feel as if you are moving when you know you are standing still?
• Do you lose your balance and/or fall?
• Do you feel as if you are falling?
• Does your vision ever become “blurred?”
• Do you ever feel disoriented, or lose a sense of time, place or identify?
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Call your chiropractor today.