Monthly Archives: October 2012

//October

Kids officially a pain in the neck….and back!

In my August Column to coincide with Seniors Week, I wrote an article about the benefits of Chiropractic care for older people. This month I'd like to expand a little on that demographic. A recent survey conducted by the CAA across Australia found that Chiropractors are increasingly reporting cases of neck and lower back pain as a result of lifestyle activities, including looking after the grandchildren. So It’s official, I can safely conclude that children really are a pain in the neck, as new data from the CAA reveals that babysitting is increasingly becoming one of the main activities to cause spine-related problems in older Australians. According to a recent survey of CAA members, 87 per cent of chiropractors are treating seniors for injuries directly related to lifestyle activities, such as gardening, housework and looking after the grandchildren. And with more parents investing longer hours in the workplace, the demands on seniors and grandparents to handle greater babysitting and lifestyle-related duties will only increase in the future. According to the survey, we are seeing more cases of older patients sustaining injuries while trying to keep up with the pace of their grandchildren. In many cases, these are caused through incorrectly performing physical activities, not doing enough regular exercise, or just plain over doing it. According to the survey, the top three health issues for which senior patients seek chiropractic care are lower back pain (72 per cent), neck pain (40 per cent) and hip pain (20 per cent). When it comes to the problematic lifestyle activities that can trigger spinal distortion, discomfort and pain, ‘grandparenting’ is becoming a newer trend. To help counteract these problems, chiropractors are advising seniors to take up regular walking, balance and fitness exercises, this will in turn reduce risk of injury through falls and everyday wear and tear. In next months column I’ll be discussing a recent study which compared Chiropractic care to medication for the treatment of neck pain.