Fyzical Dunes: Balance & Vertigo

BALANCE & VERTIGO: ANSWERS TO YOURMOST DIZZYING QUESTIONS NEWSLETTER THE

2019

Whether you have poor balance or have been suffering for a long time, seeing a physical therapist at Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers can help you return to a more active and pain-

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 in circles then stop in an attempt to experience the exhilaration of the room spinning, but vertigo in adults often leaves them disconcerted, especiallywhen ithappenssuddenly.While it issometimesafirstwarningsign 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 the ear, neurologists will test for

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neurological diseases 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’s office. Armed with the latest technology to diagnose 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. 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.

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