Treatment of Balance and Dizziness Conditions

Approximately 40 percent of people older than 65 fall each year. While most falls occurring in this age group escape serious injury, the fear of falling may cause some to limit their activities.

Fortunately, proper evaluation can detect specific balance problems. Focused exercise can improve stability and strength while decreasing dizziness that can come from weak muscles and poor sensory integration. The St. Charles Rehabilitation Center offers a balance and vestibular retraining program.

The program features the use of Smart Balance Master, a state-of-the-art assessment and training system that provides objective data regarding sensory input and balance control.  Therapists perform thorough sensory and motor assessments, which will help define the cause of your balance problem and help twith the customization of your treatment for maximum benefit.

 

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Disorders in the vestibular system can cause dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, problems with hearing, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, concentrtion, may lead to neck pain and other symptoms. They can deeply affect a person's day-to-day functioning, ability to work, social relationships, and quality of life.

Vestibular Rehab Therapy (VRT)

The goal of VRT is to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from the inner ear and balance system in coordination with information from vision and body awareness. This often involves desensitizing the balance system to movements that provoke symptoms, as well as training the brain in new movement strategies.

How Does Vestibular Rehab Help?

In most cases, balance improves if the exercises are correctly and faithfully performed. Muscle tension, headaches, and fatigue will diminish, and symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, and nausea will decrease or disappear.

What Should I Expect?

A certified Vestibular Trained therapist will first perform a thorough evaluation. This includes observign posture, ablance, eye movements and movement patterns.

Using the result of this evaluation, the therapist will develop an individualized treatment plan that includes specific head, body, and eye exercises to be performed both in the therapy setting and at home. Many times, treatment may also include increasing activities and exercise in order to strengthen muscles and increase tolerance for symptom-provoking stimuli.

 

Balance Self Test

To help determine if you may be headed for a fall, take teh Balance Self Test below. If you answer yes to one or more of the questions, you could be at risk. The best way to determine if you have a problem, though, is to talk with your physician who might recommend that you get a balance screening test from a St. Charles Physicial Therapist.

Have you fallen more than once in the past year?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you take medicine for two or more of the following diseases: heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, anxiety, and depression?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you feel dizzy or unsteady if you make sudden changes in movement such as bending down or quickly turning?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you have black-outs or seizures?
( Yes )     ( No )

Have you experienced a stroke or other neurological problem that has affected your balance?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you experience numbness or loss of sensation in your legs and/or feet?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you use a walker or wheel chair, or do you need assistance to get around?
( Yes )     ( No )

Are you inactive?
(Answer yes if you do not participate in a regular form of exercise, such as walking or exercising 20-30 minutes at least three times a week.)
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you feel unsteady when you are walking, climbing stairs?
( Yes )     ( No )

Do you have difficulty sitting down or rising from a seated position or lying position?
( Yes )     ( No )

Learn More

To learn more about our balance programs offered, please contact us at (541) 706-7725 (Bend) or (541) 516-3828 (Redmond).