Dizziness, a loss of balance and vertigo affect nearly 70 percent of all people over the age of 65. However, these conditions are not exclusive to the elderly. Those with vertigo and dizziness can experience a loss of balance, a fall, serious injury, or a withdrawal from daily activities. Yet for all its frequency, most people have questions about balance and vertigo that go unanswered.
OCT. 2019
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BALANCE & VERTIGO ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST DIZZYING QUESTIONS ABOUT
ALSO INSIDE: How Physical Therapy Can Help Bring Balance • What Our Patients Say • Exercise Essentials • Featured Equipment • Staff Spotlight • Share the Benefits of Physical Therapy
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OCTOBER 2019
Your News l et ter to Greater Hea l th
in circles then stop in an attempt to experience the exhilaration of the room spinning, but vertigo in adults often leaves them disconcerted, especially when it happens suddenly. While it is sometimes a first warning sign of an impending stroke or other neurological condition, vertigo is also a side effect of some medications and the result of a problem with your inner ear. What does your inner ear have to do with your sense of balance? Everything. While your inner ear is responsible for transmitting sound waves from the movement of bones in the middle ear to the auditory nerve in the brain, the semi-circular canals act as a sort of gyroscope in the body. These canals are filled with fluid and millions of hair cells called cilia that respond to your body’s position in space. When something disrupts the ability of these hair cells to react, vertigo is the result. This interference can be caused by concussion or other head injuries, infection or simple aging. How Are Poor Balance, Dizziness and Vertigo Diagnosed? People with balance problems or vertigo often experience a long and frustrating cycle of physician referrals, diagnostic tests and medical treatments without any real resolution to their problem. In fact, the entire diagnostic process is usually focused on what is not causing someone’s vertigo. Ear, Nose and Throat specialists will check for abnormalities in theear,neurologistswill test forneurologicaldiseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease, and chiropractors will manipulate the spine in an effort to relieve vertigo symptoms. The key to diagnosing the root cause of vertigo is actually found in the physical therapist’soffice.Armedwith the latest technology todiagnose and treat vertigo, physical therapists have programs to identify and treat the source of a patient’s balance or dizziness problems. Using specialized equipment, these non-invasive tests end the treadmill of specialists and expensive diagnostics.
Dizziness, a loss of balance and vertigo affect nearly 70 percent of all people over the age of 65. However, these conditions are not exclusive to the elderly. Those with vertigo and dizziness can experience a loss of balance, a fall, serious injury, or a withdrawal from daily activities. Yet for all its frequency, most people have questions about balance and vertigo that go unanswered. What Is Vertigo? Vertigo is a sense that the world is spinning, rocking or rotating even though you are standing, sitting or laying still. Young children often spin BALANCE & VERTIGO ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST DIZZYING QUESTIONS
Struggling with balance and vertigo? Call our professionals today at (503) 567-5771 and learn how MechanoTherapy can help you find solutions to your dizziness.
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What Do I Do If I Am Dizzy or Experiencing Vertigo? If you are dizzy or experiencing vertigo, safety should be your number one concern. Every year, millions of adults fall, with one in five leading to a serious injury. In fact, with each decade after 65-years-old, the percentage of people falling jumps from 40 percent to 65 percent to 82 percent. Even if a fall does not result in a broken bone or fracture, pain resulting from a fall can make it difficult to reclaim your quality of life. If you feel dizzy or the room begins to spin, sit down in the nearest chair or lay down on the couch until the dizziness passes. If it does not subside or if the vertigo goes away but you are still unsteady, you may need medical attention. How Are Dizziness, Balance Problems and Vertigo Treated? Once theyhaveruledoutvirulentunderlyingcauses,physiciansusually treat balance problems with medications designed to combat nausea andreduce thesensation that theworld isspinning.Whilemedications are an important aspect of treating a person’s vertigo, especially if the underlying cause is an infection, it does not address other problems that may be contributing to balance issues. Maintaining your balance while standing and walking is a complex function. Not only do you need a functioning brain and nervous system, you also need good vision, a healthy inner ear, strong muscles, healthy feet, and mobile joints. If any one of these aspects of balance is compromised, the whole system is affected. Medicating the symptom (dizziness) does nothing to address the other systems that may be at play. What Can Physical Therapy Do for Balance? Physical therapists are experts in movement. Not only can they diagnose movement and balance problems, they can prescribe a H O W P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y C A N H E L P BRING BALANCE
personalized therapeutic treatment plan that can help you feel more steady, experience less dizziness and lower your risk of a fall. • Alleviate a Fear of Falling. A physical therapist can assess your footwear and any hazards that increase your risk of falling. They are also trained to address physical limitation that could lead to a fall. As you complete your treatment plan, you will experience greater confidence and better balance. • Mobility Leads to Balance Which Leads to Strength. Using targeted exercises, your physical therapist will help you regain your ability to move about with confidence and ease. By teaching you exercises that will improve balance as you stand still (static balance) and exercises for balance as you move (dynamic balance) you will improve muscle strength as well as your overall ability to move. • Flexibility & Posture. People with balance issues also tend to experience joint stiffness and posture problems that contribute to dizziness and vertigo. Your physical therapist will work with you to stretch tight muscles, improve flexibility in your joints and retrain your posture which will, in turn, improve your balance. • Train Your Vestibular System. The vestibular system can often times be the source of dizziness and plays a vital role in our balance system. At Mechanotherapy, we have therapists who specialize in vestibular rehabilitation to help reduce/alleviate your dizziness and get you back moving confidently. Vertigo is an unsettling experience. Fortunately, treatment is possible. Call us today at (503) 567-5771. With the help of MechanoTherapy, you can set the world right and reclaim your life. Sources: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24018742•www.enttoday.org/article/vertigo- in-the-elderly-what-does-it-mean•vestibular.org/node/10•www.apta.org/BalanceFalls/
WHAT OUR PATIENTS SAY SUCCESS STORIES
I was able to strengthen the neglected muscles, regain balance in my body, and I’m ready to go back
to playing right-handed with no pain at all!”
“I was telling my friends my right arm was just “over.” It ached all the time, even when I was just doing nothing. I couldn’t wash dishes without pain. I started playing racquetball left-handed, and thought that would be my life from now on. At MechanoTherapy, I learned thatmyfeelingwasactuallycommon inracquetandthrowingsports. Certainmuscleshadbecomesostrong, Ihaddevelopedan imbalance. Using exercises and physical manipulation, I was able to strengthen the neglected muscles, regain balance in my body, and I’m ready to go back to playing right-handed with no pain at all! Thanks so much, MechanoTherapy. ” – M. K.
INFRARED GOGGLES FEATURED EQUIPMENT
RACHEL COHEN-HEBERT DPT,OCS,CSCS MEET OUR NEW THERAPIST!
Rachel Cohen-Hebert received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. Since becoming a physical therapist Rachel has developed 2 areas of specialization. In 2016 she passed the board exam to become an Orthopedic Certified Specialist (Musculoskeletal
Infrared goggles are a type of equipment we use when performing a physical therapy evaluation for a patient who has dizziness. When infrared goggles are used during vestibular testing, it improves the accuracy of the tests and allows our therapists to identify the source of symptoms. With this technology, the examiner can see the patient’s eyeswithoutvisualfixation (meaningtheexamineewillbe in the dark, however the examiner can see the eyes displayed nicely on their computer screen). We then do a series of tests with the goggles on, watching for any atypical eye movement. Because there are several types of vestibular dysfunction, accurately diagnosing the patient is critical to putting together an effective treatment plan. To find out more about how the use of Infrared Goggles at Mechanotherapy could help you regain your balance, call us at (503) 567-5771 and schedule an evaluation! Photo Credit: www.ptproductsonline.com/2019/03/vestibular-rehab-post-concussion-treatment-2
Condition) and also has advanced training in Vestibular Physical Therapy (dizziness, vertigo, concussion, etc.). Rachel has extensive experience in treating vestibular disorders and concussion (approximately 50% caseload over the last few years) and also presented a case study at the International Vestibular Conference in Chicago, Illinois in 2018. EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE • Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Regis University Denver, CO • BoardCertifiedSpecialist inOrthopedicPhysicalTherapy • Certified in Personalized Blood Flow Restriction through Owens Recovery Science • EducationfocusinVestibularandConcussionRehabilitation To request an appointment with Rachel, call us today at (503) 567-5771.
SHARE THE BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL THERAPY! Do You Have Friends or Family Members That Have Trouble:
OUR SPECIALTIES We provide 1-on-1 treatments specific to your condition! • Manual Therapy • Soft Tissue Mobilization • Blood Flow Restriction Training • Joint Mobilization • Nerve Flossing/ Neurodynamic Mobilization • Strength and Conditioning Don’t let your pain hold you back. Call us today at (503) 567-5771 or visit our website at www.mechanotherapy.physio.
� Moving without pain � Bending &moving freely � Balancing confidently & securely
� Sitting for long periods � Walking for long distances � Living active & healthy
Tell Your Friends About MechanoTherapy! We appreciate your confidence and will do our best to help those you refer meet their health and rehabilitation goals. Thank you to all of our friends who refer others to us!
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