Aging Strong: Maximizing Stability to Diminish Fall Risk

The deterioration of skeletal muscle with age (affecting mass, function, strength and stability) has increasingly been referred to as ‘sarcopenia’ and it is one of the most significant causes of functional decline and loss of independence in older adults. 

Muscle mass accounts for up to 60% of body mass. As we grow older, muscle mass decreases approximately 3-8% per decade after the age of 30. After the age of 60, the rate of decline is even higher. In fact, by the eighth decade of life up to 50% of muscle mass may be lost. 

Maintaining strength and stability is paramount to maintaining independence. A meta-analysis from 2020 that included ten studies concluded that sarcopenia was significantly associated with a higher risk of falls among independent community-dwelling older people.

Skeletal muscle not only contributes to our strength and balance, it is a metabolically active tissue that, when diminished, can have profound consequences for older adults on a variety of levels. It is important to note that a decrease in muscle mass is correlative to an increase in fat mass. This change in body composition is also associated with an increased incidence of insulin resistance in the elderly. These changes in our physiology can affect bony density, joint stiffness and have implications for conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Complications with COVID-19 

Prolonged quarantines due to COVID-19 created even more of a problem for slips and falls for older adults by facilitating more sedentary lifestyles and severely diminishing normal activity outside of the home. The extended time indoors contributed to a more prevalent decline in muscle mass. Slips and falls were reported as the most common mechanism for hip fracture during the pandemic outbreak.

Studies have revealed that atypical symptoms of COVID-19 also may include: falls, delirium, confusion, dizziness and usual fatigue. Disorientation, loss of strength and dizziness all put older adults at an increased risk for falls. If an otherwise healthy adult becomes dizzy, weak, suffers imbalance or falls down, they should visit their health provider for appropriate testing. 

Movement to Build Strength and Resilience

The first step to avoid fall risk is to get moving. To combat decreasing muscle mass we need to use our muscles. Remember that the tendons from skeletal muscle attach to bones. Muscle work creates resistance to help bones remain dense and become stronger to avoid frailty. Your chiropractor can help guide you through any/all of the exercise types listed here.

A regimen of exercises can help keep muscles strong and flexible which also aids in maintaining good balance. Many Medicare-Advantage Plans and some Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans may include a fitness component. Ask your agent if ‘SilverSneakers’ is part of your benefit and if it is, take advantage of what the program offers at your local gym facility. If this is not available to you, take heart that exercises to keep toned muscles don’t require a gym membership or any elaborate equipment and can be performed at home.

Weight-Bearing Exercises: These are performed on your feet. Gravity exerts a force on your bones while you remain upright. Your muscles and tendons are forced to pull on the bones which then stimulates activity in the bone cells. Examples include activities like: dancing, aerobics, hiking, power-walking, jumping rope or climbing stairs.

Strength/Resistance Training: These are accomplished lifting free-weights or using exercise tubing that you pull to create resistance. To tone muscles use low weight/high repetitions. For resistance strength training utilize higher weights with fewer repetitions to target specific areas that may be prone to fracture. If you don’t have weights, start with soup cans from your pantry. 

• Perform wall push-ups to use your body weight.
• Pick a stair and stabilize with the railing, raise up and down on the balls of your feet to work your lower legs.
• For your core, lay on your back on your bed and hold your straightened legs in the air. Try laying on your back and moving your legs as though you are on a bike. If you can get on your hands and knees on the floor, practice planks. From hands and knees you can also stretch one leg out straight behind you in the air and hold the position, then switch legs to increase balance and engage deep back muscles.

Isometric Training: These are completely static exercises. This means your muscles contract without your joints actually moving. If you suffer from joint pain or need more low-impact styles of exercise, isometrics are a great option to build bone strength and density, they help to build and maintain muscle mass and improve balance and coordination.

Strategies to Avoid Falls

As we age there are a variety of approaches that we can use to avoid falls: 

• Implement a regimen of exercise to stay flexible and maintain muscle strength. 
• Maintain optimum nutrition. Ensure ample Vitamin D3, Calcium, Magnesium to support your muscles and bones. Collagen peptides may also contribute to better bone mineral density. 
• Invest in comfortable shoes with good support. Custom orthotics are an option available at many chiropractor’s offices.
• Always use a shopping cart at stores to enhance stability.
• Ensure you use handrails for all stairs and install them in the bathroom (in the slippery shower and next to the toilet).
• Rise slowly from bed (whether it is morning or during the night to use the restroom). Rising slowly to a seated position and then waiting a moment will give time for blood flow to reach your brain and avoid the dizziness that could occur from getting up too fast.

Chiropractic care can help you stay strong by maintaining proper joint alignment through neuromusculoskeletal care. Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) also can advise on nutritional support for your muscle, bone and joint health, and can demonstrate exercises that can help you optimize muscle strength, proprioception (balance) and bone health to promote resilience and reduce your risks for slips and falls

Contain and Eliminate: Chiropractic’s Scary Past and Promising Future

A Story Unknown by Many

Less than six decades ago, mainstream medicine plotted to completely eradicate the chiropractic profession. Verbiage in documents from the American Medical Association (AMA) utilized the terms ‘contain and eliminate’ to describe their goals of destroying the existence of chiropractic practice.

Just as riveting as a cloak and dagger film, the contain and eliminate campaign was complete with a media conspiracy including high-level personas like the Ann Landers national news column and publications like Consumer Reports that spread lies to the public.  Political angst, threats against chiropractic physicians and a conspiracy informant/mouthpiece called ‘sore throat’ that used a voice synthesizer to communicate with stakeholders, were all part of an elaborate plot to destroy the profession and cheat the public from accessing chiropractic service.

During that time the AMA actually established a ‘Committee on Quackery’ with the specific goal of demolishing the existence of chiropractic care. Colorful and untruthful language like ‘marginal, quackery, deviant, uneducated, cults, rabid dogs’ among other adjectives were used to try to dissuade the public from visiting chiropractic providers who offered effective drug-free health options.

The ongoing antitrust lawsuit that ensued (Wilk vs. AMA) was a fascinating 14-year journey that changed the face of healthcare and ensured the 21^st century health options that we all enjoy today.

Ancient History

The practice of adjusting the spine has been implemented for thousands of years. The earliest known medical text, the Edwin Smith papyrus, describes the ancient Egyptian treatment of bone-related injuries from as early as 4000 BC. There is evidence of tissue work and bone-setting in ancient Asia circa 2700 BC. Most referenced, however, is the Greek physician, philosopher and scholar Hippocrates, who lived from circa 460-370 BC and saw the significance of the spine and its associations with health and disease.

Hippocrates was historically dubbed ‘The Father of Medicine.’ He was the creator of the Hippocratic Oath which retains a standard of timeless morals and values that is expected of new physicians, medical doctors, chiropractors and others, as they recite a pledge that he/she will uphold professional ethical standards that support the best interest of patients. The current modernization of the Oath, the Declaration of Geneva and Lasagna’s Oath are all pledges used by a majority of new health providers and are foundationally based on the philosophies of Hippocrates.

In 1895, the modern profession that we currently call ‘chiropractic,’ historically also called ‘bone-setting,’ was formally founded in the western world by D.D. Palmer. From the root words chiro meaning ‘by hand’ and practik meaning ‘practice of,’ chiropractic understood the significance that Hippocrates and the ancients attributed to the neuromusculoskeletal system.

Though the appearance of the first apothecary in history was in Baghdad in 754 AD, the practice of medicine as we know it today did not see an emergence until after the Industrial Revolution in the 18^th century.  Similarly, the founding of the chiropractic profession in 1895 should have concluded the story of a natural and reasonable transition from an ancient practice into a modern profession.

Sadly, the well-being and choices of patients was not the first priority of all healing arts practitioners. The success of chiropractic in the U.S. turned out to be a long fight for the basic rights of doctors of chiropractic (DCs) to practice as well as a fight for retaining the rights for patients to choose the most appropriate care options for themselves.

Diverging Paths and the Right to Practice

Many events happened in the early 1900’s, including the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming which led to the introduction of antibiotics to combat infections. A single-vision focus on new pharmaceutical interventions also led to a profound divergence in health philosophies that should have been working together.

These included a medical/pharmaceutical path that focused on drugs for treatment and a natural path that utilized innate organic approaches to health. Though these systems, in theory, should collaborate synergistically with a focus on the best outcomes for patients, that didn’t happen. The potential for production and money-making shunted big dollars and influential business interests down the pharmaceutical path.

Spanning decades in the early 1900s, hundreds of DCs chose to go to jail, rather than accepting the accusation of ‘practicing medicine without a license’ and paying unjustified fines. DCs were not prescribing medicines, but simply engaging in the care of patients like they always had, optimizing the joint function of the spinal column. Through threats and persecution, DCs continued to practice. D.D. Palmer himself spent 23 days in jail in 1906.

Despite the conflict, the success and popularity of chiropractic care was steadily growing, as were the numbers of doctors of chiropractic, especially in the state of Iowa. Their success logically led DCs to seek recognized legislation for equity with other health professions. At the time this request was seen as a threat  and the Iowa State Medical Society fought vehemently to stop them. Finally in 1913, after long hardships in many states, Kansas was the first state to  establish a chiropractic board and state licensure procedures for doctors of chiropractic. More states swiftly followed their lead.

During this process, the  AMA became intrigued with the state battles. The AMA was striving to recover from debt and was concurrently concerned about a ‘radical socialistic’ political idea called ‘Medicare.’  The natural approach of chiropractic was seen as a competitive danger to the AMA because there was a ratio of 1 to 10 (DCs to MDs) across the country and in states like Iowa, a ratio of 1 to 4 was a disturbing fact for the AMA that caused alarm at the national level and led them to engage in a campaign of slander.

What if you couldn’t visit the healthcare office of your choice?

After decades of defamation toward chiropractic, the injustices of the AMA ultimately led to a lawsuit against them that made history. In 1987, Judge Susan Getzendanner, issued the final ruling that stated, “…the American Medical Association, the American College of Surgeons and the American College of Radiology are found guilty of having conspired to destroy the profession of chiropractic in the United States.”      

Nearly 130 years after the founding of the modern profession and over 30 years after the court victory of Wilk vs. AMA, DCs are widely recognized as primary health providers. In the U.S. today it is estimated that over 70,000 licensed doctors of chiropractic are in service to the public providing a natural approach to care for more  than 35 million Americans (adults and children) annually. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “…employment for chiropractors continues to swiftly expand and is projected to grow 11% from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.”

Along with the understanding of the basic human rights of patients to choose a treatment path and/or a team of providers to work together in their best interests, it is crucial that patients and new doctors promote care that puts the patient first, remember the powerful history that afforded us our rights and, sadly, be aware of the old prejudices that may still exist in some circles.

The story of the Wilk vs. the AMA lawsuit is profound and made the choices that patients enjoy today possible. Students of chiropractic continue to include the Hippocratic Oath during their traditional ceremonies to exemplify their commitment to individual patients. In modern practice, doctors of chiropractic work synergistically with all other medical disciplines and healing arts to address the individual needs of patients and to help patients reach their healthcare goals, naturally.

The detailed story of ‘Contain and Eliminate’ has been told with a book and webinar series written by individuals who lived, worked and litigated during this ground-breaking case that changed our healthcare system. The story has also been told on the Adjusted Reality Podcast where host, Dr. Sherry McAllister, interviews Dr. Lou Sportelli.

For more information and details about this case and the powerful history of the chiropractic profession please visit: https://www.ncmic.com/resources/webinars/contain-and-eliminate-a-history-of-.

Chiropractic Care Can Help You Work from Home More Comfortably

by Dr. Sherry McAllister, President, Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

American employees now work from home. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made the transition to work from home inevitable, but it hasn’t been easy.

Though working from home is great for social distancing and “flattening the curve,” it presents various challenges. Instead of meeting with co-workers face-to-face, you now have to hop on a phone call or Zoom meeting. Team-building activities such as picnics and game days have gone the way of the dinosaur. Not to mention, most promotions and raises have been put on hold.

Working from home affects your physical health, as well. Most office setups feature comfortable, ergonomic furniture meant to support productivity. But if you rarely worked from home prior to the pandemic, you probably had little reason to invest in a home office.

As a result, many workers are conducting business from their kitchen tables, bedrooms or couches. There’s nothing wrong with working from where it’s most convenient, but without a proper setup, you’re much more likely to experience headaches, neuro-musculoskeletal pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Can you relate? If so, you may want to schedule an appointment with your doctor of chiropractic.

Doctors of chiropractic earn at least seven years of higher education before receiving their license. This training includes guidance on how to achieve and maintain good posture. Following a comprehensive exam and a discussion of your lifestyle and symptoms, a doctor of chiropractic can develop a custom treatment plan that improves your posture and helps you feel better.

Your doctor of chiropractic can recommend office furniture that’s comfortable and supportive. They can improve your neuro-musculoskeletal health with hands-on spinal adjustments, nutritional advice and drug-free treatments. Throughout treatment, they can tweak your plan as necessary, ensuring you achieve the desired outcome.

If working from home is causing you pain, don’t wait to seek professional help. Your doctor of chiropractic is only a phone call away.