Chiropractors help millions of maturing individuals regain control of their lives every year. Chiropractic treatments are designed to eliminate acute and chronic pain, increase flexibility, improve mobility and function, increase strength, enhance balance, and increase the overall quality of one's life  and this why chiropractic care is extremely important for the maturing and elderly adult because of the dramatic changes that occur in the spine with increasing age.

As we age, spinal discs, facet joints, ligaments, muscles and other spinal tissues become weaker, less hydrated, more fibrotic, and less able to withstand normal stresses. As a result, spinal pain from spinal degeneration (arthritis) becomes more prominent, tissue injury from relatively benign events occurs, and the time to heal from injuries increases. Chiropractic procedures take into consideration the nature of the aging spine and the many abnormalities present to provide a strategically effective, safe and noninvasive treatment plan.

A past study evaluated the health status of 414 elderly individuals (average age of 80 years) and compared those individuals under chiropractic care with those not under chiropractic care. The researchers found a number of significant findings which included: 87% of those who used chiropractic care rated their health as good or excellent compared with only 68% in the non chiropractic group, 13% of those who used chiropractic care rated their health as fair or poor compared with 32% in the non chiropractic group, 44% of those who used chiropractic care reported having arthritis compared with 66% in the non chiropractic care group, those who used chiropractic care were more likely to do strenuous levels of exercise at 3 years follow-up, less than 5% of those who used chiropractic care used a nursing home while a staggering 48% of those who did not use chiropractic care did use a nursing home.

The big idea thus is to take care of your spine early so that you can enjoy all of the good things your long life has to offer.

Source: Coulter PhD et al. Chiropractic and Care for the Elderly. Top Clin Chiro 1996;3(2):46-55.