During the course of working with new patients, it’s quite common to encounter seemingly unrelated complaints that may benefit from chiropractic care. For example, previously we discussed the association between balance and the neck and how important chiropractic adjustments are to the upper cervical spine in managing balance-related complaints such as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV). In this article, we discuss balance and how it relates to the health of the brain!
A 2014 study published in the journal Stroke found that difficulty balancing on one leg (eyes open) for at least 20 seconds is a possible sign of brain damage in an otherwise healthy person. In other words, there appears to be an association between poor balance and an increased risk of small blood vessel damage and reduced cognitive function (memory, association, the ability to communicate well, stay on task, etc.) in people who otherwise appear to be healthy. In this study, 841 women and 546 men (average age was 67 years old) were asked to stand on one leg for up to 60 seconds with their eyes open. Each participant repeated the exam twice and researchers recorded the best time. Next, each participant had a brain MRI to assess for small vessel disease and completed a computer based-questionnaire to measure cognitive function.
Researchers found an association between the presence of small vessel disease and the inability to stand on one leg with eyes open for more than 20 seconds. More importantly, they found a similar association with subclinical (no symptom expression) blood clots/micro-bleeds and cognitive loss with this balance impairment. When the small arteries in the brain are damaged and lose their flexibility, blood flow is interrupted to the brain depriving oxygen to the tissue, something that is more likely to happen with advancing age.
You can test your balance by standing on one leg with your eyes open for up to 30 seconds and eyes closed for up to 25 seconds (“normal” = 25 seconds for up to age 59; age 60-69 = 10 seconds, and age 70-79 years old = 4 seconds). Repeat this with the other leg. If unable to do this, your chiropractic doctor may recommend doing “proprioception exercises” followed by re-testing every 15-30 days. This is a very common problem, and it usually improves with balance-challenging exercises.
These exercises include simply standing on one leg while in the kitchen, watching TV, waiting in line…you name it! Take advantage of your standing time and do some balance challenging exercises! Of course, if you’re wobbly and find yourself “windmilling” to maintain your balance, do this in a safe environment. To make the exercise even more challenging, try standing on a pillow or a folded up towel and/or shut your eyes to REALLY make your brain work!.
How is your balance and brain health? Call McKim Chiropractic today to schedule a consultation and ask how much does a chiropractor cost per visit. Our skilled and licensed staff is committed to helping the residents of Nampa, ID achieve a balanced life!
