Dizziness
It is important to know that Vestibular Disorders such as BPPV (a cause of vertigo) must be properly addressed before balance treatment can be effective. It is not uncommon to hear that patients have been prescribed medications like Meclizine to reduce their motion sickness or vertigo. While this does treat the symptoms (sometimes), it does not fix the problem. The problem can be caused by a number of factors. The most common of which, is when calcium carbonate crystals called otoconia have fallen into one or several of the semicircular canals. Techniques to put the otoconia back in place are often referred to as canalith repositioning maneuvers. It is imperative that the offending canal be correctly identified in order to choose the correct treatment technique and to have the most prompt and effective treatment.Successful resolution of symptoms can often be achieved in 1-3 treatments but largely depends on the experience of the clinician’s skills.
AVORA performs Videonystagmography testing (VNG) which use Video Frenzel Goggles to record eye movements in both room light (with fixation) and in total darkness (without fixation). Abnormal eye movements, which are perceived by the patient as spinning (vertigo) or falling, can be caused by the brain, the inner ear or connections between the two. Some disorders do not require the use of video goggles to diagnose, if you have a skilled and knowledgeable clinician evaluating you. However, evaluating eye movements under Frenzel Video Goggles often enables a more accurate diagnosis to be reached.This is a highly specialized field that takes serious education and experience to become proficient. In addition, we perform video Head Impulse Testing (vHIT) rather than caloric testing because it is general more comfortable for patients and tests all 6 canals.
Before choosing a provider to evaluate and treat your vertigo or dizziness, ensure you have chosen a qualified provider who is knowledgeable in the field, preferably who has specialized in treating vertigo and who has several years of experience working with vestibular patients. In addition, when necessary, the right equipment being used can also save you time and money! Common responses from our patients are, "I can't believe you cured me! I've spent over 6 months on medication that didn’t work” or “I was previously told that I just had to live with it and that this sometimes happens with getting older.” Some vestibular disorders are easily treatable when they have been properly diagnosed. We are working to better educate people regarding the treatment process and how important it is to be properly diagnosed by someone who has the right education and experience.
"When seeking a specialist to diagnose and treat your vestibular disorder, inquire if they can perform VNG/Vorteq/vHIT testing or at least use Frenzel Video Goggles. If they don’t even know what those testing tools are, run the other direction. These tools are essential for properly testing and correctly diagnosing your problem. Additionally, they are instrumental in educating you about your condition. It is much easier to understand why you are experiencing symptoms once you can actually see the problem."
Patients treated at AVORA can have confidence they have chosen a quality care provider. Each of our physical therapist who treats Vestibular Disorders has been trained and mentored by Dr. Kim Fox, PT, DPT
AVORA performs Videonystagmography testing (VNG) which use Video Frenzel Goggles to record eye movements in both room light (with fixation) and in total darkness (without fixation). Abnormal eye movements, which are perceived by the patient as spinning (vertigo) or falling, can be caused by the brain, the inner ear or connections between the two. Some disorders do not require the use of video goggles to diagnose, if you have a skilled and knowledgeable clinician evaluating you. However, evaluating eye movements under Frenzel Video Goggles often enables a more accurate diagnosis to be reached.This is a highly specialized field that takes serious education and experience to become proficient. In addition, we perform video Head Impulse Testing (vHIT) rather than caloric testing because it is general more comfortable for patients and tests all 6 canals.
Before choosing a provider to evaluate and treat your vertigo or dizziness, ensure you have chosen a qualified provider who is knowledgeable in the field, preferably who has specialized in treating vertigo and who has several years of experience working with vestibular patients. In addition, when necessary, the right equipment being used can also save you time and money! Common responses from our patients are, "I can't believe you cured me! I've spent over 6 months on medication that didn’t work” or “I was previously told that I just had to live with it and that this sometimes happens with getting older.” Some vestibular disorders are easily treatable when they have been properly diagnosed. We are working to better educate people regarding the treatment process and how important it is to be properly diagnosed by someone who has the right education and experience.
"When seeking a specialist to diagnose and treat your vestibular disorder, inquire if they can perform VNG/Vorteq/vHIT testing or at least use Frenzel Video Goggles. If they don’t even know what those testing tools are, run the other direction. These tools are essential for properly testing and correctly diagnosing your problem. Additionally, they are instrumental in educating you about your condition. It is much easier to understand why you are experiencing symptoms once you can actually see the problem."
Patients treated at AVORA can have confidence they have chosen a quality care provider. Each of our physical therapist who treats Vestibular Disorders has been trained and mentored by Dr. Kim Fox, PT, DPT
How To Properly Diagnose Vestibular Disorders
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View the video on the right to see how Frenzel Video Goggles are used to properly diagnose Vestibular Disorders.
Eye movements, as well as the patient and therapist, are recorded during various tests. In this video, abnormal eye movements, called nystagmus, are recorded during positional testing. The direction of the head, putting the left ear in a down position, the direction of the nystagmus (left up beating rotary nystagmus), the delay and duration of the nystagmus and the reversal of the nystagmus when returning to sitting (right down beating rotary nystagmus) indicates left posterior semicircular canalithiasis. After exactly isolating the condition, the side involved and the offending canal, we were able to properly treat the patient. This patient’s symptoms were resolved in one treatment. |
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Top Ten Facts About Vestibular Disorders (from VEDA)
- The word “vestibular” refers to the inner-ear balance system. To achieve good physical balance we rely on our brain, eyes, inner-ear, and muscular-skeletal system to work in harmony. Balance is commonly taken for granted until it is impaired.
- Over 35% of US adults aged 40 years and older (69 million Americans) have had vestibular dysfunction at some point in their lives.
- Balance problems can occur for many reasons: inner-ear disease, a virus, a traumatic brain injury, poisoning by certain antibiotics (ototoxicity),
autoimmune causes, migraines, and aging. - People with vestibular disorders are challenged with the following symptoms: vertigo (spinning sensation), dizziness, fatigue, jumping vision, unsteadiness, “brain fog”, nausea/vomiting, hearing loss, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
- People with vestibular disorders can suffer cognitive impacts, such as poor concentration, memory, and word recall; difficulty reading while tracking
printed text; and impaired mental stamina. - An often successful treatment is Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT). VRT has been shown to be an important part of the management of vestibular patients and can improve by 70-80%.
- Some low-impact exercise routines can improve balance, such as Tai Chi, yoga or use of the Wii video game along with the Wii Balance Board.
- Balance disorders are an invisible chronic illness. Because they are “invisible,” others frequently assume the patient is overreacting or faking their symptoms.
- Early research on the vestibular system came from NASA’s study on returning astronauts in the space program.
- A support group can provide helpful information and support. To find a vestibular disorders support group in your area visit VEDA’s website at http://vestibular.org/finding-help-support/support-directory.
GyroStim Conditioning
The AVORA Health Center for Balance & Dizziness owns a brand new 2017 GyroStim. In addition to other state-of-the-art vestibular rehabilitation tools that we use to diagnose and treat our patients, we have purchased a GyroStim just for you. The growing population of senior citizens who will experience age-related balance issues increases the likeliness of a fall. One way to help prevent a fall is through a fall prevention program. Part of a good fall prevention program is by challenging the body in a safe and controlled environment. The GyroStim stimulates the body and brain to improve reaction time and improve spatial awareness. To learn more about how the GyroStim may help you, visit our GyroStim page.
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