Is
vertigo, dizziness or unsteadiness affecting your quality of life?
Have you been told “you have to learn to live with it?”
According to the
University of Wisconsin Division of Otolaryngology, approximately 40% of
all adults experience dizziness severe enough to report to their
doctor. 50% of patients do not get a diagnosis and 70% are given
expensive prescription drugs to treat the symptoms. Yet surprisingly,
most patients and physicians are unaware that most types of dizziness
and balance disorders can be effectively treated with a specialized form
of physical therapy.
England Physical Therapy is Orange County’s most experienced physical
therapy practice devoted to the evaluation and treatment of vertigo,
dizziness and balance disorders.
England Physical
Therapy specializes in the evaluation and treatment of vestibular and
balance disorders. We are here to work with your and your physician to
ensure an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. We offer advanced, non-invasive
evaluation and unsurpassed physical therapy interventions.
Reasons to Call England Physical Therapy
If
you have Symptoms of:
-
Dizziness or lightheadedness
-
Vertigo (spinning sensation)
-
Imbalance or unsteadiness
-
Decreased concentration
-
Foggy or fuzzy headedness
-
Visual blurring or bouncing
-
A feeling of being “spacey”
-
Falling, or near falls
-
Numbness, tingling in your extremities
-
Muscle weakness or limited range of motion
-
Neck pain, headaches or migraines
-
Motion sickness/intolerance
If
you have been given a Diagnosis of:
-
Benign
Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV):
episodes of
vertigo, usually described as “the room spinning,” usually brought on
by head movements (example: looking up, down or to the side) or body
position changes (example: lying down).
-
Viral Neuritis
or Labyrinthitis:
A viral infection of the inner ear affecting either
the vestibular nerve or the membranous labyrinth respectively
characterized by a sudden onset of vertigo and nausea.
-
Meniere’s Disease:
a disorder of the inner ear that affects hearing and
balance. It causes sudden attacks of vertigo, tinnitus (a loud
ringing in the ears), and a loss of hearing that may become permanent.
-
Vertigo of Vascular Origin:
Poor or restricted blood flow to the brain.
-
Post-Traumatic Vertigo:
Dizziness after a head injury (example: labyrinthine
concussion).
-
Peripheral Vestibular Disorder:
This term is used when a more specific diagnosis can’t
be made, but all indications are that it is an inner ear problem.
-
Central Neurological:
The root cause of the dizziness is not in the inner
ear, and comes from the central nervous system.
-
Neurological disorder
-
Vertiginous Migraines or Migraine Associated
Vertigo
-
Post mild head injury/concussion
-
Cervical Vertigo
-
Vestibular Schwannoma/Acoustic Neuroma
Diagnosing & Treating the Problem
Unfortunately,
because of the broad range in symptoms, patients with dizziness and
balance disorders are often misunderstood. This commonly leads to
numerous visits to multiple health care providers, resulting in
thousands of dollars in costs without an accurate diagnosis or
appropriate treatment - not to mention discouragement on the part of the
patient.
Customized Rehabilitation Advantage versus Generic Exercise
Scientific Evidence
Custom exercise facilitates recovery
•
Subjectively, 64% of the generic group & 85% of the customized group
reported complete or dramatic improvement.
• Only
50% of the subjects had no disability or minimal disability after
generic ex, whereas 75% achieved these levels after a customized
program.
•
Customized group showed statistically significant resolution of
spontaneous nystagmus, rotational chair asymmetries & reduction in
motion sensitivity. They also had improved performance on clinical
measures of static and dynamic balance ability.
• Both
groups demonstrated a significant decrease in self-reported dizziness
experienced while performing their VRT activities. Only the customized
group showed a significant reduction in their dizziness during routine
daily activities.
Programmatic vestibular rehabilitation.
Shepard, NT and Telian, SA: Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery
112:173, 1995.
State-of-the-art
treatment demands an accurate assessment before initiation of therapy.
At England Physical Therapy, we utilize advanced diagnostic tools to
quickly and accurately identify the source of the patient's complaints.
We offer testing that is not available elsewhere in the area. Testing is
painless and non-invasive.
 |
 |
| |
|
|
NeuroCom™ Computerized Dynamic Posturography This technology,
available at EPT, is the Gold Standard in the literature for assessment
of vestibular and balance disorders. |
Treating Benign Paroxymal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) with the Epley
Manuever with the use of Videonystagmoscopy.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa |
EPT Experience
BPPV is a
very common, highly treatable condition. Symptoms are
characteristically described as a spinning sensation that occurs during
movements such as lying down, bending over and turning the head. At
England Physical Therapy we average
3 patients per day
with this type of
vertigo.
From the studies
above, it is clear that when treatment is customized to target the
individual's pathology and impairments, outcomes are significantly
improved over those achieved with generic treatment approaches. England Physical Therapy
tailors the rehabilitation to the patient’s specific findings to
optimize outcomes. For further information on our treatment approach,
please reference
Current Concepts in Rehabilitation of Balance and
Vestibular Disorders by Teresa England, PT, MPT.
How you
can begin
Individuals come to
England Physical Therapy in a variety of ways. You or a family member
can contact us and set up an appointment. Or your physician or other
health care provider can refer you. In either case, we coordinate our
care with your personal physician or other care provider. In order to
bill your insurance company, we’ll need a medical diagnosis. Please
contact us by phone at: 714.703.8477 or email us at
info@englandpt.com.
