Balance & Vestibular Therapy

Hundreds of Americans will suffer from dizziness and balance difficulties every year. While balance problems are most common in older individuals, they can occur at any age and have a variety of causes. The Balance & Vestibular Rehabilitation program at TherapyPlus can help patients overcome their problems related to imbalance and dizziness to improve their daily lives.

Individualized Programs
Patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation by one of our vestibular therapists to determine what may be causing their balance and dizziness problems. The therapist will evaluate:

• The patient's vestibular system
• Muscle strength
• Gait (walking pattern)
• Vision
• Medical history.

The therapist will then design a customized rehabilitation program to meet each patients needs.

What causes balance problems?
Three systems in the body help us maintain balance:

• Vestibular system/inner ear (helps maintain the body's orientation in space, balance and posture; also regulates locomotion and other movements and keeps objects in visual focus as the body moves.)
• Vision (visual signals help the body determine where it is in space and how it is moving)
• Touch (sensations in our feet, muscles and skin send messages to the brain about body movement and position)

Patients suffering from a vestibular disorder generally display only symptoms of dizziness. Those experiencing balance problems may or may not have dizziness and might have other symptoms such as decreased muscle strength, vision problems and difficulty with gait. Therapists at the Balance & Vestibular Rehabilitation program provide a comprehensive evaluation to determine which system is causing the balance problems and determine a plan of treatment.

Conditions
If you have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions, talk with your physician about how the Balance & Vestibular Rehabilitation Program at SMMC can help improve your quality of life.

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
• Infection of the inner ear
• Labyrinthitis
• Neuronitis
• Post-surgery for acoustic neuroma
• Meniere's disease/endolymphatic hydrops
• Central vertigo resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury
• Reduced or absent functioning in one or more balance systems
• History of loss of balance or falls

More Information
To learn more about the Balance & Vestibular Program at SMMC, or to schedule an appointment, call the ASK-A-NURSE Resource Center at 913-676-7777.