None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Falls are a major health concern for older adults. They are a significant cause of death, injury and loss of quality of life. In people over the age of 65, falls account for over 80% of injury related hospital admissions and they are the leading cause of unintentional injury related death in older adults. Falls often occur due to a decline in nervous system function with advancing age. This can lead to a loss of balance, or poor control of the limbs which dramatically increases the risk of falling. In the past ten years researchers have demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments can improve aspects of nervous system function including muscle reflexes, reaction time and the speed at which the brain processes information. This study will investigate the relationship between chiropractic care and components of the nervous system important for maintaining balance and preventing falls in older adults. To study this relationship the researchers will follow and assess two groups of older participants at regular intervals over a 16 week period. One group will be under regular chiropractic care for sixteen weeks and the other group will receive no chiropractic care during the study but will be offered the programme at the completion of the study.
Interventions
The intervention was twelve weeks of chiropractic care. Chiropractic care involved the ongoing provision of care, whether a subjective complaint was present or not, with the intention of correcting spinal dysfunction, which is termed vertebral subluxation by chiropractors. Chiropractic care was provided at no charge by licensed chiropractors who have volunteered to assist with this study and who have at least five years clinical experience and practice in Auckland, New Zealand. On average each c
The intervention was twelve weeks of chiropractic care. Chiropractic care involved the ongoing provision of care, whether a subjective complaint was present or not, with the intention of correcting spinal dysfunction, which is termed vertebral subluxation by chiropractors. Chiropractic care was provided at no charge by licensed chiropractors who have volunteered to assist with this study and who have at least five years clinical experience and practice in Auckland, New Zealand. On average each chiropractic visit will take approximately 20 minutes. The frequency of care was left up to the discretion of the chiropractor providing care.
Sponsors
New Zealand College of Chiropractic
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Community dwelling adults aged 65 years or older who permanently reside in or near the Ellerslie / Mount Wellington region of Auckland, New Zealand will be eligible to participate in this trial.
Exclusion criteria
Volunteers will be ineligible if they are wheel-chair bound, or unable to remain standing unassisted for a minimum of one minute, as they will be unable to complete the required balance testing. Other exclusion criteria include presence of absolute contraindications to chiropractic care, being unable to comprehend the study information or consent processes, the known presence of severe cognitive, somatic or psychiatric impairment or disease, presence of a terminal illness and being unavailable to participate for one week or more during the study period due to planned travel arrangements or other commitments. A risk assessment for vertebrobasilar insufficiency / vertebral artery dissection (VBI / VAD) will also be conducted and at risk volunteers will be ineligible for inclusion until specialist referral confirms no VBI/VAD exists. Volunteers will also be ineligible if they have received chiropractic care within the previous six months or if they have received spinal manipulation during the previous six months from another healthcare provider.
Outcome results
None listed