Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Chiropractic Care Safer for Most Seniors

Chiropractic treatment is widely accepted as a safe and effective treatment for spinal issues, including sciatica, back and neck pain.  With increasing age, the likelihood of suffering with one of these conditions increases.  Because of that, some researchers wanted to investigate whether chiropractic treatment is as safe for the elderly as it is for younger patients.  They undertook a study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and subsequently published in Spine.
They researched whether the risk of injury to people aged 66 and older after seeing a chiropractor for an issue involving the nervous system, muscles and spine was more, less or equal to the risk of injury following a visit to their primary care physician for that kind of issue.  Their study was based on recipients of Medicare Part B who were treated for these conditions in 2007.  They evaluated the risk of injury for seven days following their treatment.
They found that the risk of injury within seven days of a chiropractic treatment was 76% lower than the risk of injury within seven days of medical treatment for comparable neuromusculoskeletal conditions.  The risk of injury post-treatment was highest for males, older participants and those with co-existing serious conditions.  Chiropractic was determined to be a significantly safer treatment option for seniors experiencing conditions related to the nerves, muscles or bones, except for those with specific medical conditions such as coagulation defects (or long term use of blood thinners), inflammatory spondylopathy, osteoporosis, or aortic aneurysm and dissection, 
In short, if you, or someone you love is a senior who is experiencing pain or weakness related to the nerves, muscles and spine, you should talk to a trusted chiropractor and give them your complete medical history.  If you or they are a good candidate for chiropractic care, it may be the safer option for treatment in the long run.


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