3 Mobility Indicators of Early Death

3 Mobility Indicators of Early Death. 

It’s common practice to look at blood pressure, cholesterol levels* and body mass index as part of a health evaluation but what about mobility indicators that affect your longevity? Here is a summary of three major indicators that can predict premature death and what you can do about it.

  1. Frequent Falls. Falling a lot suggests that your body awareness is hindered (Being Mortal, Atul Gawande) and leads to significant injuries. Often times this starts with dysfunction in your feet. Try stretching your feet (additional video), reading this book to minimizing foot stress and improving your balance. Additionally, spinal imbalances contribute to falls at any age and are easily improved with regular chiropractic care. If you haven’t been to your chiropractor in a while, now’s a good time to get in for a tune-up!
  2. Poor Mobility. Try the Sitting Rising Test (SRT). Your performance, or lack thereof, can predict your longevity. Did you score less than eight points? Start moving in ways your body isn’t accustomed to. Use these videos as a starting point for adding new movements to improve mobility and perform the SRT once a week.
  3. Grip Strength. A 2015 study found that poor grip strength can be a stronger indicator of morbidity than blood pressure. The reason is simply that people with stronger hands tend to move their bodies more. But don’t go out and buy grip strengtheners. Rather, start raking your own lawn, shovel snow with a shovel (when possible), practice hanging (or even repetitions of pull-ups) for long periods of time, plant a garden and care for it daily or carry your small children on a walk rather than use a baby-carrier. Basically, try to add as much variable activity to everything you do! (Movement Matters)

Try Chiropractic! If your spine is not functioning optimally, all three of the previously mentioned categories will be hindered. Call us today to improve alignment and well-being to live longer, happier and healthier!

*Blood sugar levels are more important than any other physical measure such as blood pressure or cholesterol levels, but we’ll save that discussion for a future blog post ?