Check out our August 2023 Newsletter, highlighting physical therapy for rotator cuff tears, best exercise to address ankle stiffness, physical therapy for vertigo, and aquatic therapy balance training.

Vertigo can dramatically affect your quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vertigo involves a false sense of motion, a sensation in which the individual feels that they or their environment is spinning even when sitting or standing still. Physical therapy can reduce and eliminate the symptoms of vertigo, assess and treat the underlying cause of vertigo, retrain the brain to adapt to vestibular dysfunctions and help individuals regain balance and coordination safely.

Check out our November 2022 Newsletter, debunking 10 physical therapy myths and highlighting vestibular dysfunction treatment, exercises after breast cancer surgery, and the Friends of the Poor Walk sponsorship with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Vestibular dysfunction refers to an impairment of the structures of the inner ear that affects your balance and spatial orientation. When the vestibular system is not working properly, the brain does not receive correct information about head motion and movement from the vestibular nerves, which can result in dizziness, vertigo, lack of balance, spatial disorientation, and frequent falls. Vestibular dysfunction can be treated with vestibular rehabilitation therapy, which involves manual head maneuvers and progressive exercises to improve gaze and gait instability, reduce head motion-induced dizziness and fall risk, improve fitness, and enhance functional visual skills.

On the blog, physical therapist Jen demonstrates several exercises to improve your balance. Balance is critical to your daily life, allowing you to walk, climb up and downstairs, and prevent falls. Good balance allows you to maintain a stable, upright position when standing, walking and sitting. Improving your balance has many benefits including increased body awareness, joint stability, coordination, posture, and athletic performance as well as reduced risk of injury and falling. Physical therapy can help you improve your balance safely and address underlying issues causing your balance problems.

Vertigo and vestibular dysfunction affect a person’s quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vestibular dysfunction results in symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, impaired postural control, and imbalance. Vertigo intensifies the feeling of dizziness into a spinning, tilting sensation. Using vestibular rehabilitation therapy, physical therapists treat a patient with vertigo or vestibular dysfunction, alleviate symptoms, improve balance, and reduce fall risk.

A concussion is a mild brain injury that requires a thorough and skilled treatment plan for optimal recovery. Concussions can occur during sports and other recreational activities or from car accidents, falls, or work accidents. Physical therapists can effectively manage concussion injuries through evidence-based treatment and a careful, personalized rehabilitation plan.