Today, I ache — all over. The weekend was a mix of exhilaration and exhaustion as I spent hours throwing myself into the reservoir, working on a new technique for getting onto my board. It sounds simple, but this manoeuvre demanded muscles I didn't even realise I had, and today those muscles are screaming in protest. Every move brings a twinge, reminding me just how intense those hours were. And as if the muscle ache wasn’t enough, I’m sporting a fair collection of bruises too. At one point, my board slipped out from under me, then came back with a vengeance, hitting me squarely in the face —my poor nose bore the brunt of that impact.

I'm no natural athlete, and I never have been. When it comes to sports, I’ve always been the kind who has to grind, practicing over and over to get things right. Any skill I’ve developed in past sports has been hard-earned through repetition and sheer persistence. This new sport, though, feels like it's in a league of its own; it’s challenging me like nothing I’ve tried before, and I’m trying to give myself every edge I can to tackle it.

That's why, every Friday, I make sure to get a chiropractic adjustment before heading out on Saturday. You might ask, why chiropractic? There was a fascinating study published in 2016 that explored the effects of chiropractic care on older adults' sensorimotor function, specifically focusing on the risks of falling. For 12 weeks, a group of adults over 65 received regular adjustments, and the findings were pretty impressive. Chiropractic care seemed to improve their ability to sense joint positions in their ankles, speed up reaction times in stepping exercises, and even enhance multisensory processing. All of these factors contributed to a reduced risk of falls.

Now, I’m not 65, but the logic still holds: if chiropractic adjustments can help an older adult stay balanced and upright, there’s a good chance it can help me stay steady on a moving board. So, at 41, I’m betting on chiropractic care to help me stay balanced, quick on my feet, and—hopefully—a little less bruised the next time I face off with my board in the reservoir.

EFFECTIVENESS OF CHIROPRACTIC CARE TO IMPROVE SENSORIMOTOR FUNCTION ASSOCIATED
WITH FALLS RISK IN OLDER PEOPLE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutic Volume 39, Number 4 May 2016. Holt et al