Fit4Life: Prevent Injuries By Improving Balance

THIS MAY BE WHY YOU’RE SUFFERING FROM VERTIGO The causes of vertigo aren’t nearly as vast. In fact, vertigo is most commonly caused by an imbalance in the inner ear, also known as the “vestibular system.” Your vestibular system helps you maintain your balance and center of gravity by sending messages to your brain regarding your movement. When this is impaired, the necessary messages become blocked from your brain, and your movement becomes affected. You may feel as if the world is spinning around you, you can’t focus your vision for prolonged periods of time, or you can’t stand/move properly without feeling like you’ll topple over. Some common causes of vertigo include: • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This is the most common cause of vertigo. It occurs when the tiny calcium crystals located in your ears break apart and move around to different parts of the ear that they are not supposed to be in. This can cause sudden spinning sensations (vertigo) and inner-ear discomfort. • Meniere’s disease. This occurs when fluid builds up in your ear(s). This typically includes “ringing” sounds in the inner-ear and sudden waves of vertigo that may

last for hours. You may also experience momentary hearing losses. • Vestibular neuritis. This is an inner-ear infection that can cause vertigo. • Migraines. Migraines can impact your vestibular system, thus causing episodes of vertigo which may be coupled with sensitivities to light or sound. Vision may also be impaired. • Stroke. A stroke affects movement in your whole body. If you recently suffered a stroke, you may experience waves of vertigo which may linger for extended periods of time.

Vestibular rehabilitation includes treatments such as the Epley maneuver, which allows for canalith repositioning to move the broken calcium crystals in patients experiencing BPPV, as well as Cawthorne head exercises, which focus on decreasing nerve sensitivity and improving vertigo. Videonystagmography is a highly specialized diagnostic tool for testing inner ear functions. This test determines whether your dizziness or vertigo is being caused by a vestibular disease, and it is the only test available that can decipher whether there is a vestibular loss in one or both ears. It is a non-invasive test that uses infrared goggles to record a patient’s eye movements, thus determining how well the patient is able to react to visual stimuli responses that are being sent from the vestibular system. Physical therapy is very important to strengthening joints and learning the right exercises to relieve dizziness and vertigo, in order to improve balance. A professional can help you develop a program that plays into your strengths while increasing your ability to balance and reduce bouts of unsteadiness. Contact Fit 4 Life today to get started! Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/ syc-20371787 https://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=8faba487-14c0-482e- 9280-c655e1776ebe https://www.google.com/search?q=cdc+balance+statistics&oq=cdc+balance+statistics&aqs =chrome..69i57.3980j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Some accompanying symptoms to vertigo may also include: • Inability to focus or remain alert. • Double vision.

• Nausea or vomiting. • Arm or leg weakness. • Difficulty seeing or speaking. • Sweating. • Abnormal eye movements.

How will physical therapy help? Dizziness and vertigo can both hinder your balance, limiting your ability to perform even the simplest of tasks. Luckily, no matter what the cause may be, physical therapy for dizziness and vertigo can help. Fit 4 Life has some of the most advanced techniques for diagnosing and treating both dizziness and vertigo, including vestibular rehabilitation and videonystagmography.

Fit 4 Life Can Help You Improve your Balance, Naturally!

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DO I NEED A PRESCRIPTION TO START PHYSICAL THERAPY? No, you don’t. Although we see many patients sent directly by their physician, in the state of Florida, a licensed physical therapist may begin the physical therapy process by performing a full physical therapy evaluation. We will verify benefits for you so that you can get started right away.

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