Balance disorders are often related to vestibular conditions. These conditions affect your inner ear and can cause vertigo, dizziness and other symptoms that affect your ability to balance.
Living with a balance disorder is challenging. It can be difficult to focus, there is a risk of being hurt from a fall and you may frequently feel nauseous. Some balance disorders cannot be cured, but there are treatments that can help you manage life with imbalance.
Many people with balance disorders choose to visit physical therapists for treatment. Physical therapists have different ways of testing balance disorders depending on the cause of your imbalance and other factors like medical history.
Generally, your physical therapy treatment aims to reduce the effects of triggers that cause imbalance and to improve your strength and flexibility to help you resist falls.
Physical therapy treatments for balance disorders
Physical therapists use a variety of methods for treating imbalance. If you visit a physical therapist to treat a balance disorder, your treatment will likely include:
- Therapeutic exercise — Exercises to improve the strength and flexibility of your muscles helps you balance easier. When your muscles are weak, you are more likely to fall when you feel dizzy or disoriented. Stronger muscles provide better support, which reduces the chance of falling.
- Adaption stabilization — Adaptation stabilization exercises are designed to improve your ability to focus. These exercises usually have you move your head while maintaining a visual on a specific object or target. As your therapy goes on, your physical therapist will introduce new positions and change the distance and speed of your targets.
- Substitution — Moving your eyes or head in a certain way can trigger a balance disorder. Physical therapists can teach you substitution techniques for substituting the way you typically move your head and eyes with new methods less likely to trigger imbalance.
- Habituation — Physical therapists use habitation to build your resistance to specific triggers like motion or lights. This method works by exposing you to the trigger in a controlled environment to help your body grow used to it. Over time, you should be able to handle more of whatever causes your trigger without losing balance or feeling dizzy.
Visit Excel Sports & Physical Therapy in O’Fallon, MO, for balance disorder treatment
If you live near O’Fallon, Missouri, and need treatment for an imbalance disorder, our team at Excel Sports & Physical Therapy is ready to help. Contact our team today for more information about balance disorder treatment or to schedule an initial appointment.
