If you struggle with balance, you could experience a loss of mobility and independence as a result. A fear of falling, difficulty walking, being unable to drive, and other daily activities are all possible. Balance issues can arise after a head injury or stroke or occur on their own for other reasons. Our team can discover their cause and prescribe vestibular / balance therapy to address them.
We aim to help every patient heal. We provide diagnoses, assessments, therapies, and rehabilitation for almost every part of the body. Call us today to learn how we can help with your vestibular / balance concerns.
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What Is a Vestibular System and How Does It Affect Balance?
Your vestibular labyrinth is a tiny part of your inner ear that plays a significant role in your balance and coordination. It works like a gyroscope, constantly gauging how gravity acts on your body to inform your brain of your position. As you move, it is one of the primary inputs for your brain to know what it will take to remain balanced and upright.
When there is an issue within your vestibular system or any of the other systems that help your brain understand your position as you move around a space, it can cause debilitating symptoms. This includes imbalance, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, loss of coordination, and difficulty standing and walking.
While a vestibular disorder is often to blame, several other body systems play a role in this process. Sometimes, they do not work properly, and it can cause the same symptoms. This could include:
- The Oculomotor System: Your body relies on your vision and several muscles that control eye movement to better understand your position in relation to other objects.
- Sensation: If you lose sensation in one part of your body, it could cause balance problems. The body uses input from the ground and other objects—chairs, handrails, and more—to understand what you need to do to remain upright at any given time.
- The Central Nervous System: When people suffer brain injuries, balance and coordination are often affected because the brain must receive and process the sensory inputs from these systems.
How Our Vestibular / Balance Rehabilitation Program Works
We offer vestibular / balance therapies as a part of our comprehensive physical therapy program. Physiotherapy can address many of the concerns people have following an accident, illness, or injury. This includes imbalance, loss of coordination, and decreased range of motion.
Reducing or eliminating a balance disorder and coordination concerns with the exercises and therapies we prescribe may be possible. Our team will assess your needs during your initial intake exam. We can determine the cause or causes of your condition and prescribe a care plan to address them. Some of our patients begin therapy the same day as their intake exam.
Depending on your needs, our doctors could prescribe:
- Vestibular function therapy
- Balance retraining
- Therapy to rebuild eye movement and control
- Strength rebuilding and stretching
- Complementary treatments to address other needs
Schedule Your Appointment With Our Team to Get Help Today
Our team cares about every patient we treat. Once you come through our doors, you become family. You can count on our team to help you set, reach, and exceed your goals. At the Naples Community Injury Center, we have more than 60 years of combined experience helping patients from all walks of life recover from a wide range of injuries and prevent future injury in the future.
Our staff includes medical doctors, a neurosurgeon, chiropractic physicians, physician assistants, and chiropractic physician assistants. We work together to create and carry out a specialized care plan to address your unique needs.
When it comes to vestibular / balance rehabilitation, our clients often come to us after:
- Strokes
- Brain injuries
- Work-related injuries
- Auto accident injuries
- Slip and fall injuries
- Sports injuries
- Other illnesses
Sometimes, balance and coordination concerns are not the only complaints. We assess the whole body, prescribing treatment options involving physiotherapies and chiropractic care as needed to address pain, inflammation, muscle weakness, and other symptoms.
Vestibular / Balance Therapy Treatments We Prescribe
Our vestibular / balance rehabilitation program is individualized based on each patient’s unique needs. Some only require vestibular exercises to regain their balance and improve mobility. Others need more intensive therapies and treatment programs.
You can count on our team to identify the cause of your concerns and provide the therapies you need to recover. This could include:
Vestibular Exercises
Vestibular therapy focuses on retraining the vestibular system to work properly. This therapy uses certain movements to help the vestibular labyrinth understand what the body is doing and how the brain needs to react to establish and maintain balance. For some with vertigo and similar diagnoses, these exercises may be the primary therapy to treat their condition.
Oculomotor Exercises
Oculomotor therapy uses special exercises to rebuild muscle strength and retrain coordination of the eye muscles involved in balance and coordination. This helps the body learn to track objects and your relationship to them as you move. These exercises, along with others, can also help retrain the brain to accept, read, and react to signals sent about balance, position, and movement.
Physical Therapy to Retrain Your Body
We often prescribe traditional physiotherapy exercises for patients with balance and coordination concerns. These exercises build strength and stamina in large muscle groups while also helping the brain interpret and react to signals throughout the body. These exercises could allow patients to finish our program stronger and less likely to suffer injuries than before they were hurt initially.
Call us for Vestibular / Balance Rehabilitation
At the Naples Community Injury Center, every patient gets started with an initial intake exam. This appointment allows us to get to know you, your needs, and how we can help you work toward your goals.
Contact us now at (239) 631-5445 with questions or to schedule your appointment.
