Have you been experiencing dizziness or unsteadiness that interferes with your day-to-day life? We often take good balance for granted. Physical therapists can improve one’s imbalance, decrease risk for falls, and strengthen a weakened vestibular system, which is the part of your inner ear and brain that controls balance and eye movements.
The most common cause of dizziness is vertigo or BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Renew Physical Therapy’s therapists can quickly diagnose and often cure this condition in one-to-three treatment visits.
Renew Physical Therapy’s Balance & Vestibular program can address the spectrum of symptoms that can result from normal aging, a head or neck injury, or even a traumatic injury, such as from a car accident. With evidence-based tests, Renew Physical Therapy will find the cause of your balance problem and determine your risk for falling.
If you have symptoms of dizziness, headaches, or imbalance, the following exercises can help you. Please note that a physical therapist will design a treatment plan specific for you, which may include some of these movements:
- Gaze Stabilization: Do you feel the room spinning at times? Renew Physical Therapy offers numerous tools and exercises to focus your gaze on one object at a time, while decreasing feelings of dizziness or nausea.
- One Leg Balance: A physical therapist will help you achieve greater balance and challenge your vestibular system. One of the exercises that can help your balance and vestibular system is one leg balance. Once you are able to stand on one leg for 30 seconds, you will work towards holding this position with your eyes closed.
- Tandem Walking: Tandem walking is a great screening tool for vestibular impairments. A physical therapist will instruct you to tandem walk (walk heel-to-toe in a straight line) to help to evaluate your balance.
- Bosu Ball Exercises: A Bosu ball is a device our therapists use for balance and stability training. Bosu Ball exercises engage all of your muscle groups and challenge you to maintain your center of gravity on an unstable surface.
For further information, please contact Renew Physical Therapy and we will schedule you with one of our Balance & Vestibular experts.
