Physical therapists can help manage any balance disorders that may be interfering with your life
At any given moment throughout the day, when performing practically every movement, our vestibular system is responsible for keeping us balanced. For most of us, we hardly even think about how much we use this system during tasks like walking up stairs or standing from a chair. But for anyone with a balance disorder, some of these seemingly simple tasks that we take for granted can become extremely challenging. The good news is our clinicians are experts at helping patients with balance treatment in Visalia.
The vestibular system is the sensory system that provides the brain with the most important information regarding the body’s sense of balance and spatial orientation in order to coordinate our movements smoothly. The system detects motion of the head—mainly through the inner ear, as well as the eyes, muscles and joints—and from this, it generates reflexes that are crucial for completing many daily activities. Some of these tasks include stabilizing our gaze and maintaining the posture of our head and body.
When the vestibular system functions properly, most people are unaware of it and don’t think twice about activities like walking on uneven surfaces or arising from bed in the middle of the night. When certain disorders affect the vestibular system, however, various symptoms can come about, the most common of which are dizziness, vertigo and balance problems.
There are a number of causes of dizziness and vertigo, but two of the most common are benign paroxysmal vertigo disorder and vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis. Both of these vestibular disorders occur due to different problems with the inner ear, and cause a change in the information being received by the brain from the vestibular system.
Vestibular therapy is one important intervention physical therapists provide that works to improve balance with various exercises. Treatment typically consists of the following:
- An evaluation of all body parts that affect balance to determine how much balance is impaired; the resulting program will be based on this evaluation
- Gaze stabilization exercises: these exercises are designed to keep vision steady while making rapid side-to-side head turns and focusing on an object, which will help the brain adapt to new signaling from the vestibular system
- Balance retraining exercises: these exercises include shifting body weight in various directions while standing to improve how information is sent to the brain
- Home-exercise program: your physical therapist will also create a program to be performed at home that includes these exercises and possibly others
The benefits of balance therapy in Visalia for patients with balance disorders can be seen in the conclusion of this study review from 2015:
Patients with central and peripheral vestibular disorders benefit from physical therapy interventions. Advances in physical therapy interventions include new methods to stimulate adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex and the vestibulospinal systems.
So if you’re dealing with any sort of balance problem and are looking for balance treatment in Visalia, we strongly recommend coming in for a visit. Our physical therapists can help get to the root of your problem and start you on your way to a more stable life without any bothersome balance complications.
For more information about our balance program, click here to visit our balance therapy page.
