Low-Force Chiropractic for Seniors

"Special Considerations of Low-Force Chiropractic for Seniors" was a talk I gave to my professional women's networking group. I enjoy serving elders in my practice, and Activator Chiropractic is especially suitable for them because it is gentle, safe, and comfortable. Medicare patients are welcome in my office.

Facet Compression Syndrome

In the spine, the parts of the vertebrae that touch are the facets. If you look at the vertebrae one-on-top-of-the-other, they are separated by the discs, so the bones do not touch. But behind the vertebrae, at each spinal level, are projections from the main, roundish, vertebral body, somewhat like little bony “feet,” and these parts, the facets, DO touch each other, on both the left and right sides of the spine. If the facets get jammed, or compressed, the surrounding soft tissue---muscles, etc., gets affected, tight, somewhat like a clinched fist. This is painful, and needs precise, directional release. I find facet compression frequently in patients with back pain, and am able to successfully release it with my Activator Chiropractic Method. 

Hiking Sticks---The New Walking Aid for Elders!

Are you an elder, or do you know an elder, who has reached the point of being a bit unsteady on their feet and could benefit from a walking aid? Consider those boring, stodgy old walking canes no more, and go get a hiking stick! Every 20-something in the Sierra hikes with one or two; almost no one attempts the Pacific Crest Trail or the John Muir Trail without one anymore. Elders can join the “hip” crowd with a stylish hiking stick, many of which telescope down to fit into a carry bag or backpack. 

Sugar and "Pancreatic Panic"

One way to think about what sugar does to our bodies is to imagine how it affects our pancreas. As sugar content in the blood goes up, the pancreas springs into action, since one of its jobs is to secrete insulin to balance blood sugar levels.

Simple sugars, simple carbohydrates, and high-glycemic index foods cause a rapid spiking in blood sugar, which demands a quick and equal response from the pancreas. Somewhat like the response at a fire station when a call comes for a building on fire. Another way to think of this is “Pancreatic Panic.”

Keep on eating sugars, over-taxing your pancreas, and at some point the pancreatic cells that secrete insulin begin to ‘wear out,” they begin to not work as well. This is part of how Type II Diabetes develops.  

Keep a Little "Spring in Your Step"

Stand with your knees completely extended, or “locked back.” Notice how your low back feels. Then release both knees until you have a little “spring,” a little loosening from the rigid, “locked back” knees position. Now notice how your low back feels. Better, right? If you keep a little “spring in your step” this way, it helps keep a much healthier and more comfortable posture in your low back.

Reading in Bed

Patients often tell me how they habitually read in bed, propped up on pillows behind their back, neck, or head. These patients are often plagued with chronic neck or back discomfort, exhibit poor posture, have headaches, and have pain or paresthesias in their arms or hands. Frankly, it is almost impossible to healthfully position oneself for any amount of time by propping up on pillows and sitting or partially reclining this way in bed. It just doesn’t work, doesn’t give healthy support for the back, the spine, the neck, or the shoulders. It’s much better to enjoy reading elsewhere, but if you must read in bed, lie on your side and support your book on a pillow adjacent to the one supporting your head. 

Aberrant Cranial Rhythms

The bones in our head have very subtle rhythmical motions, that are not synchronized with our heartbeat or breathing. They are associated, however, with the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, the fluid that that bathes our brain and our spinal cord.

The rhythms can become aberrant, or abnormal, if they get “stuck” or out of their normal pattern. Balancing, or correcting, the aberrance can relieve headaches, vertigo, tension in the jaw or face, and patients report partial relief of sinus congestion. I have had patients tell me that they had felt “out of sorts” or irritable, before receiving cranial balancing, but felt relieved and better afterward.

       Cranial balancing is part of every patient's full-body balancing in my practice.