Balance Disorder Specialist

What is a balance disorder?

If you have a balance disorder, it means you feel unstable on your feet and suffer from symptoms such as:

• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Visual disturbances
• Difficulty thinking clearly

A balance disorder can lead to falls, which may cause serious injuries like fractures and dislocations. The fear of falling also makes it hard to live a normal life with a balance disorder.

What causes balance disorders?

Balance disorders are often due to inner ear conditions because this part of your ear plays a crucial role in your balance.

The most common type of balance disorder is vertigo, which makes you feel like everything around you is in motion or spinning. Central vertigo originates in your brain or spinal cord (central nervous system), while peripheral vertigo relates to inner ear problems.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere's disease, vestibular neuronitis, and labyrinthitis can all result in symptoms of vertigo.

What other conditions cause balance disorders?

Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder, can cause balance problems in addition to tremors, stiffness, and slowed movements. Other reasons you may develop a balance disorder include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Stroke
• Multiple sclerosis
• Head or spinal tumors
• Alcoholism

Certain medications, for example, antidepressants and blood pressure drugs, can sometimes cause problems with balance.

To find out why you have a balance disorder, your primary care provider runs various tests. These could include the Dix-Hallpike (roll) test to identify abnormal eye movements, an MRI or CT scan to view your head and spine in detail, or electronystagmography (ENG) to check the nerve function in your brain.

What treatments can help with my balance disorder?

The Precision Rehab Occupational Physical & Hand Therapy team provides several treatments for balance disorders, including exercises to improve your balance. Their expert therapists can reduce the severity of your symptoms and help you manage everyday tasks with which you're having difficulties.

Vestibular rehabilitation is a leading treatment for patients with peripheral vertigo. Two techniques your provider might use are the Epley maneuver and the canalith repositioning procedure.

These approaches require you to make specific head movements. These movements enable your therapist to shift the crystals inside your inner ear responsible for your vertigo. Another option is Cawthorne head exercises, which are head and eye movements that reduce nerve sensitivity.

If you're experiencing problems with a balance disorder, get the help you need by calling Precision Rehab Occupational Physical & Hand Therapy or book an appointment online today.