Have you ever had a loss of balance, dizziness, vertigo, spinning, or feeling like you were falling?  These are balance disorders that may be caused by something wrong in the brain, the nervous system (joints and muscles), the eyes, or the inner ear.  Balance is a result of the brain receiving, interpreting, and processing information from those other systems.  When there is some type of dysfunction in any one of these feedback systems it may manifest into a balance disorder.
Anacortes Physical Therapy offers treatment options for balance disorders.  These treatments are based on evidence based practice.  A 2006 study indicates that peripheral balance disorders and central balance disorders greatly improve with physical therapy.  It was noted by the researchers that the patients with peripheral disorders appeared to receive greater benefit of the two types of disorders.

So, what is peripheral balance disorder also known as peripheral vestibular dysfunction?  This type of balance disorder can be caused by viral infection or lack of oxygen to the vestibular nerve, labrynthitis (inflammation or infection of the balancing canals in the inner ear), Meniere's Disease, tumor of the cranial nerve controlling the hearing and balance system of the ear, certain medications, head injury, or vertigo that results from changes in position but is benign (BPPV).

The other type of balance disorder, central balance disorder also known as central vestibular dysfunction can be caused by diseases such as MS or Parkinson's disease, stroke, or head/brain injury.

For further information, refer to: "Physical Therapy for Central Vestibular Dysfunction," Brown, K MS PT NCS; Whitney, S PhD, PT NCS ATC; Marchetti, G PhD PT; Wrisley, D PhD PT NCS; Furman, J MD PhD; Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Volume 87, Issue 1, January 2006.

Anacortes Physical Therapy balance programs are customized for each individual patient.  These may include Vestibular Rehabilitation that may include standing balance exercises on stable and unstable surfaces, Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (gaze stabilization exercises), use of BIODEX SD ™  for balance testing and training and for some innovative and fun rehabilitation we may also incorporate balance exercises on the Wii Fit.

Vestibulo-ocular reflex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Figure 1: Patient Working on Biodex SD for Balance

Figure 2: Making Balance Work Fun with the Wii Balance Board Games

Figure 3: Working on Balance with Vestibular Ocular Reflex Through Gaze Stabilization Exercises