Chiropractic for Aging Adults

Gentle therapy provides relief, By: Ashley Cleveland

Nagging aches and pain in her lower back and body almost kept Margaret Laird from maintaining her active lifestyle. Like many other retired people, Laird suffers from pain associated with aging and arthritis, but physical therapy didn’t relieve the constant pain and she didn’t want to use more prescribed medication.

With few other choices, Laird began going to a chiropractor as an alternative means of pain relief. She felt an immediate difference in her stamina and mobility. With regular visits to her chiropractor for adjustments, stretching and manipulation, she began feeling normal again.

“I could tell a difference after the first few visits, I no longer felt the constant nagging and aching,” Laird said. “It helped me a great deal; I got to a place where I could actually get up without moaning and groaning.”

Although she no longer visits a chiropractor regularly, Laird said it helped her regain her active lifestyle.

Dr. Raymond A. Schmeder, a Tulsa chiropractic physician, recommends regular appointments after the initial relief treatments in order to minimize chronic pain and stiffness.

“I try and work on people regularly until they are 75 or 80 percent better, then I like to see them for continual maintenance visits several times a year in order to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system,” Schmeder said.

Aging adults face special problems that make them more susceptible to pain in their legs, hips and back. For example, their aching joints and muscles are less supportive, therefore with looser ligaments, the joints are not held together as tightly. Other risk factors facing older people include arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes and degeneration of bony parts and muscle tissue.

Chiropractic care can help relieve this pain by massaging and stretching the muscles. Since joints need movement to be healthy and many older people don’t get much range of motion exercise, many need help to move their joints.

“Even though chiropractic care may not reverse the effects of arthritis, it can certainly decrease the amount of discomfort that someone feels,” the 47 year old chiropractic physician said. “I can’t reverse the effects of time on the body, but I can make people feel better and make the future a little easier.”

Chiropractic care is important for aging people who remain active because their bodies are less able to recover from injury, and being active on an improperly healed injury can lead to more problems and pain. Chiropractors can help by adjusting the spine or other areas that may have become misaligned; they can also massage sore muscles to relieve tension.

“I have been active my whole life, and even now I stay busy. But before I went to the chiropractor, the pain was so bad I couldn’t even bend over to tie my shoe laces. Now I go to exercise class every week and I feel great,” Laird, 82, said.

People with less active lives can also benefit from chiropractic care. As people age many become more stationary because they develop different ailments that cause joint stiffness and that can decrease mobility. Chiropractors can use massage therapy and stretch techniques on patients, which can increase blood flow and improve flexibility and mobility. By stretching certain muscles, chiropractors can increase range of motion, decrease tissue inflammation and relieve pain.

“A lot of times the older people are just not getting enough physical activity or enough muscle movement to keep some of these aches and pains at bay, so you know you just do it manually for them stretch them manually. And the next thing you know they’re sleeping through the night or the ache that’s been bothering them is gone,” Schmeder said.

According to the American Chiropractic Association Web site, Doctors of chiropractic, by the nature of their work, can detect the earliest degenerative changes in the joints. They see the impact of degenerative changes in the spine, as well as in the hips, knees, and other weight-bearing joints. Doctors of chiropractic are also trained to relieve the pain and improve joint function through natural therapies, such as chiropractic manipulation, trigger-point therapy, or some massage techniques.

According to the site, Doctors of chiropractic can also help plan individualized exercise programs that will help restore the lost range of motion to joints, improve flexibility and endurance, and increase muscle tone and strength.

“The [chiropractic] treatments helped to limber up my body,” said Peggy Orr, a retired teacher with arthritis. She said she is not very active and the stretching and massage therapy by the chiropractor helped ease her pain, but says it would probably help more if she went more often.

A healthy musculoskeletal system is vital to maintaining a healthy and active life.

“People have someone to take care of their teeth, their hair, their skin, their feet and their nails, but the musculoskeletal system is a vital part of your anatomy that people yet people ignore it. People choose to use painkillers and muscle relaxants to alleviate their pain when they could get help from a chiropractor instead.” Schmeder said.

Range-of-Motion Tips:

Dr. Schmeder recommends range of motion and stretching exercises for aging adults to help maintain normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.

In addition to the following activities, these exercises can help with improving flexibility and movement. Tai Chi; Yoga; Water Exercises; Swimming; Dance Exercise. Dr. Schmeder suggests that you consult your physician before beginning any new exercise program.

Neck: Breathe while doing these exercises. Turn your head slowly to right; then to the left. Repeat 2-4 times.

Tilt your head toward one shoulder, then toward the other shoulder. Do four times.

Chest and Torso: Sit in a chair. Put hands on your waist, tile to the right, return to center, turn to left, and then return to center. Exhale each time the movement goes down; breathe in when movement comes up. Don’t allow your torso to tilt forward; hold your head up; instead let it relax to the side.

There are a number of exercises for legs; ankles; back that can be done to increase movement.

Information courtesy of Ortho.washington.edu.