Balance disorders can make simple activities like getting out of a chair or tying your shoes difficult. They can also be dangerous, increasing your risk of falling or having accidents while driving. More than 12 million Americans have balance or dizziness problems, and falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. Click here to find out if you are at risk using our balance disorders quiz. Baptist Rehabilitation-Germantown offers therapy specifically designed to evaluate and treat vestibular, or balance disorders, performed by a therapist certified in vestibular rehabilitation. Our program could help you lead a safer, more independent life.

Although balance disorders are more common for those 55 and up, they can affect anyone. Among the symptoms that could indicate balance problems are:

• Dizziness or vertigo
• Repeated falls
• Difficulty walking
• Decreased ability to perform cognitive tasks
• Visual disturbances
• Sensitivity to noise
• Nausea/loss of appetite
• Depression
• Sleep disturbances

Therapy can address all these issues and provide you with education for dealing with day-to-day challenges.

Our therapist is one of the few therapists in this area certified to treat vestibular disorders. She has specialized in area of balance dysfunction since 2004, and earned APTA certification in vestibular rehab from Emory University in 2010. She can also rehab dizziness that is the symptom of other issues, like car wrecks or traumatic brain injury.

Balance disorders can be caused by conditions such as hypo- and hyperglycemia, arteriosclerosis, arrhythmia, and certain medications. They can also be caused by trauma, stress, and fatigue, among many other triggers.

For those experiencing balance problems, poor lighting, uneven surfaces, sudden movements, elevators and curbs can all trigger discomfort, nausea, and falls.

Our certified therapist can help your internist or gerontologist evaluate your systems and plan a course of therapy.

Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise approach to decrease or eliminate symptoms of dizziness, imbalance, or nausea due to an inner ear disorder. It is a specialized form of physical therapy to decrease, if not eliminate a patient's complaints of dizziness or unsteadiness due to the vestibular system, the central nervous system or the musculoskeletal system. Our program usually treats patients 1-2 times per week for 6-8 weeks, but a daily home education program is a necessity and daily walking activities are recommended.