Balance and Vertigo

Did you know that Functional Neurologists use eye movement tests as helpful methods to determine what is wrong with a patient? The disconnection between individual eye muscles during normal motion (such as weakness in one or more of the independent muscles) can be a common sign of vertigo.

While vertigo and balance problems themselves are not life-threatening, they can lead to increased risks of falling and sustaining fall-related injuries. The risk of falling also increases in patients that are over 40 years old or who otherwise suffer from other neurologic deficits and chronic medical problems.

Common signs that accompany vertigo include dizziness (3.9 million emergency room visits for vertigo in 2011 alone), hearing loss, visual impairments, nausea and often result in difficulty driving, difficulty bing in places with a lot of sensory input (grocery stores and concerts) and a constant '“out of body” experience.

Vestibular rehabilitation (VR) is used by functional neurologists to be able to target the various parts of the vestibular system (inner ear, cerebellum), which are at the root of conditions affecting balance and coordination.

VR methods may include various forms of balance stability work, complex patterned movements of the extremities, therapeutic movement with a motorized rotational chair (Gyrostim), positional maneuvers, and/or eye exercises.