Currently viewing the category: "balance"

Chiropractic Rehabilitation for Motorcycle Accident Leads to Rapid Recovery

By On · Add Comment · In balance, Cedars Sinai, chiropractic, fractures, motorcycle accident, neuromuscular reeducation, orthopedics, physiotherapy, proprioceptive work, rehabilitation, surgery

This summer I was honored to be contacted by a dear friend who had just been involved in a horrible motorcycle accident. He was just coming out of his fifth surgery to repair a fractured femur (thigh bone) and tibia/fibula (shin bones) of his left leg. Through a combination of outstanding orthopedics and plastic surgery, the staff at Cedars Sinai had my friend patched up sufficiently to start a rehab program at my office. You can read his story here to get more of the fascinating details.

The program which I designed to get my friend back up and moving was a combined chiropractic, physiotherapy and neuromuscular reeducation, including extensive proprioceptive work to return balance and sense of position. We worked intensively for three months.  In that time we moved my friend from using crutches, to using a walking stick, to walking without assistance, to climbing stairs. Watch the video below to see his incredible recovery. You can see what is possible with the right care and the right frame of mind.

Rehabilitation following an automobile or motorcycle accident can return one to function and living a normal life. Watch the video to see evidence of this. I have marveled at the rapidity of recovery myself.

Balance Training Prevents Falls

By On · Add Comment · In balance, balance training, elderly, falls, proprioception, rocker board

I do lots of balance training with my clients in my West Hollywood chiropractic office. Balance or proprioceptive training prevents falls. You know this–I wrote a post on the subject back in April. But it’s so important I’m gonna say it again: Without a properly functioning proprioceptive system, you risk falling; and falls, especially in the elderly, can lead to disability and even death.

So what’s proprioceptive training? It’s challenging the body by forcing the client to balance, first on two legs, then on one and then on an uneven surface. The uneven surface I use in my office is a rocker board. These boards sit on an arching base, and teeter back and forth like a seesaw. They are quite challenging to the person who has diminished balance, but with work, the results are amazing. Eventually we get the client standing on the surface with one leg, juggling a chihuahua and a chainsaw–it’s incredible! OK, we save that last part for our aging circus performers, but if you’re ever interested…

Recent studies have shown the mega-importance of balance training to prevent falls in the elderly. But I have to say that I encounter many young people diminishing in their proprioceptive abilities. So it’s never too early to start. And aside from preventing falls, good proprioceptive senses help strengthen the low back, combating low back pain and eventually acting as a preventative. Nice.

So if you are unsure whether you need balance training, just stand up now, look straight ahead, and lift one foot off the ground by bending you knee. Was it difficult to hold your balance? If so, then you’re a prime candidate. Call your local chiropractor and start your balance training today.

Healthy, Healthy Japan

By On · Add Comment · In balance, depression, diet, emotional, health, healthy, Japanese, longevity, mental, perspective, suicide, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, wellbeing, work-related
They say that the Japanese are the healthiest people alive. They live on average 74.5 years in health, and 86 years thereafter. The Japanese diet–high in fish, rice, and seaweed–is said to be the main reason. Cancer rates are low and heart disease is pretty much held in check. Bravo to the Japanese, especially in honor of their 6th Healthy Food Expo held last week in Tokyo. When it comes to diet and nutrition the Japanese are, without a doubt, ahead of the game.

But if any of you have read my latest book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, you know that diet is just one factor determining a person’s health and longevity. Multiple factors play a role, each having a profound effect on health and life expectancy. One of these factors is a balanced mental and emotional life–that is, one’s mental health.

When it comes to mental health, then, the Japanese may not be so ahead of the game after all. According to a government report released last week, suicides from work-related stress has doubled in the last five years. And the number of people developing work-related mental conditions such as depression has reached a record high of 268 in 2006 (the last year of complete statistics on the subject). Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world–32,160 people killed themselves in 2006. People in their 30s and 40s were most prone to stress due to working too many hours or personal relationships at work. Some of the people attempting suicide worked 160 hours of overtime a month. 160 hours overtime! The typical work week in Japan is 40 hours.

Dang! That’s whole lot of workaholism. And you thought Americans were bad. Listen, what difference does it make if you eat well and are nutritionally healthy if you drive yourself into the grave by overworking? Just doesn’t make sense. I get that there are pressures: one-third of these poor people were working between 80-100 hours overtime a month! Put this in perspective: That’s twelve or more hours a day for five straight days every week. That’s damn near chiropractic hours. Sheesh. What family time? What social life? What time for personal hygiene (I know if that was me, I’d probably quit cutting the ol’ toenails to gain a few minutes every week). And throw in a little cultural mind trip–many people don’t discuss their stress in order to not seem weak–and you’ve got a severe mental health issue at hand.

The bottom line is this: If you strive for good health you can’t neglect your mental and emotional wellbeing. Eating well is essential, but so is balancing one’s mental perspective. You ain’t gonna do that by working non-stop for extended periods. You need rest, social time, creative time, family time, and simply time to be alone with your thoughts. Sometimes we forget how important alone time actually is. And even if you do all this stuff regularly, you need a vacation every once in a while, too. Trust me when I say that burning the candle at both ends when it comes to work is the quickest way to burnout, and worse. Just ask the Japanese–it a national tragedy over there.

Yoga Helps Older Women Maintain Balance

By On · Add Comment · In balance, chiropractic, elderly, health, physical fitness, stretching, yoga

Every year thousands of elderly women (and men) fall and break a hip. Many of these women die as a result. Balance, or the loss thereof, is a serious health issue. I find it so important that I do lots of balance training with my clients, old or young. And now some great research out of Temple University in Philadelphia is showing that yoga–yes, my favorite form of physical fitness–is stupendous for bringing back one’s state of balance.

In the study, 24 women aged 65 and older were taken through an hour and a half yoga session two times per week for nine weeks. The intensity of the sessions increased gradually over time. They found that after the program, the women walked faster, used longer strides, and could stand for a longer time on one leg. The women also felt more confident in their ability to balance while standing and walking.

One other incredible result is that the women increased one centimeter in height on average following the program. Wow! Researchers seemed perplexed in finding a reason for this and concluded that “The only explanation may be that they are standing more upright, not so much crouching,” said study chief Dr. Jinsup Song. This seems obvious to me. Stretching tight muscles and strengthening weak ones will lead to a more upright posture. Throw in a little chiropractic care to open up stuck joints and you might even get two centimeters.

It’s great–I love to see real health measures being researched. Yoga is an all encompassing health and fitness practice. If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing out. Take a class or two every week for an entire year and I promise that your life will change. Don’t take my word for it–just do it.

Tango Leads to Graceful Aging

By On · Add Comment · In balance, biomechanics, cerebellum, chiropractic, dancing, elderly, exercise, footwork, hip fractures, mobility, Parkinson's, proprioception, stretching, tango

Tango anyone? How about a Jitterbug, Cabbage Patch, or a little Roger Rabbit? No, really–dancing is a great way to keep yourself young. Just ask anyone who cuts it up regularly, and they’ll tell you how much dancing helps them keep their youth.

But we now know that dancing–especially the tango–can also help people with Parkinson’s Disease stay mobile and maintain balance. So say new findings out of Washington University of St. Louis medical school. According to the study, although dance in general is good therapy for Parkinson’s patients, tango specifically helps with balance and mobility due to the nature of the dance, specifically its dynamic balance, turning, initiation of movement, moving at different speeds, and walking backwards.

The study looked at two groups of Parkinson’s patients: one that was led through exercise classes, and the other was given tango lessons. The exercise group was given strength and conditioning exercises routine for Parkinson’s patients and the elderly, while the tango group was taken through exercises which included stretching, balance exercises, tango-style walking, footwork patterns, experimenting of timing of steps, and dance with and without a partner. The exercise classes included 40 minutes of seated exercise, followed by standing exercises supported by a chair, core strengthening and stretching. Although both groups showed improvement, the tango group showed greater improvement with balance.

Great news and wonderful confirmation for the power of balance work. In the chiropractic profession, we know how crucial balance is to the overall health and well-being of the body. Our sense of balance is integral in many functions including our biomechanics or whether we’ll suffer chronic pain or not. Also, having proper balance, especially for the elderly, is essential for preventing falls, which can lead to hip fractures and even death if vital arteries are severed during the break. Many systems contribute to the balance function including the cerebellum and proprioceptive receptors, but it all starts in the feet–and good footwork can only help us keep our balance intact–thus the power of tango.

So everybody, get up to get down…and tango.

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