Dizziness, Balance Problems, & Vertigo
We Provide Solutions For Adults Suffering With Dizziness & Balance Problems So They Can Fully Engage In Their Life Again
If you’ve got a problem with dizziness, vertigo, or balance, – it’s very tempting to think that it’s “just because of age” After all, this is what the doctor has told you, and so many people you know seem to have this problem. Or maybe you are not old at all, and your are having a problem with dizziness or vertigo and you don’t know why… and worse, nobody else seems to know why either.
Despite seeing several different specialists, getting expensive brain scans, and being put on medications that don’t seem to work, nobody seems to know what’s causing your dizziness problems.
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone – and we hear this type of thing ALL THE TIME! In fact, this is a common problem, and we work with people every day using vestibular therapy all over Dallas Fort/Worth to empower people to get their independence back from dizziness, vertigo, balance problems, and falls. Want to learn more how vestibular rehabilitation therapy can help with your dizziness, vertigo, and effectively treat your dizziness?
And when it comes to problems with dizziness, vertigo, balance and vestibular problems, everybody we see wants to know…
“What’s Causing The Dizziness? Why Doesn’t Anybody Seem To Know What’s Going On?”..
or, “Does Dizziness This Just Come With Age?”
Does That Sound Like You?
Another scenario we see all the time all over Dallas/Fort Worth is when people go for months or years, suffering with dizziness, vertigo, balance or a vestibular problem and they just live with it thinking nothing can be done – That is no way to live, but we still see it all the time. Sometimes people will be suffering for 20 years or longer with these problems!
You need real solutions, not more tests and medications or more specialists telling you they don’t know what’s wrong either. This is where vestibular rehabilitation therapy can help.
In the best of cases, people are able to get to the correct specialist who is able to tell them exactly WHY they are experiencing dizziness, vertigo, and what is wrong with their vestibular system, and put them on the path toward taking control of their life again.
In the worst of cases, people suffer with these problems for months or years before finding the right specialist, if ever. Sometimes dizziness, vertigo, and vestibular disorders can make people completely impaired, unable to live their life. They find themselves unable to work, unable to participate with their family or friends, take care of others, or even find it difficult to walk across a room or go shopping. People begin to label them as “crazy”, and in fact, by the time they get to vestibular therapy, they are beginning to think themselves that they are “crazy”.
Other times people are able to continue to live their life but are left with this nagging feeling of dizziness, vertigo, or dizziness with anxiety. Sometimes people don’t roll over in bed to one side for a WHOLE YEAR (Or 20 years). Other times people just live with their dizziness the best they can, slow down when they need to, and keep striving forward since nobody seems to have solutions for them.
Maybe your problem started suddenly… you remember the exact date and time, like how most people remember where they were when they found out about the JFK assassination or the 911 attacks. Maybe you went to the emergency room, stayed in the hospital, all to be told there was nothing wrong and told to take some pill that doesn’t seem to help and may even make you feel worse.
Maybe your problem started gradually, and before you knew it you were dealing with something that has become a discomfort and annoyance at best and completely debilitating at worst. Maybe you are even falling and having balance problems as a result of your dizziness.
Has This Type Of Thing Happened To You?
Why does dizziness seem to be so common with older people? So dizziness and balance problems must just come with age, right? Or maybe you’re wondering why you are having these sorts of problems at a young age (We see plenty of people with these problems in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s). Well, it’s easy to get confused because you’ve been told different things, by different people. There’s lots of people out there who are happy to dispense advice – but not all of it is credible, nor does it give you an actual SOLUTION or PLAN to your problem. This is where vestibular rehabilitation therapy can help.
Problems with dizziness, vertigo, and balance can be very confusing and because of this, many people just end up accepting it as ‘part of life’ – as if it’s normal, and ‘just the way it is’.
Or…
Maybe you felt you were dealt a bad hand and all of a sudden you are dealing with something nobody seems to understand.
Do You Feel That Way Too?
If You’re Currently Living With Problems With Dizziness, Vertigo, Or A Vestibular Disorder Here’s Possible Reasons (Other Than Age) Why This Is Happening:
- You may be suffering from an inner ear balance/vestibular disorder. This could have occurred from an actual vestibular disease such as positional vertigo or an infection of your vestibular system. Sometimes these problems go away on their own, sometimes they linger for months and years until they are treated.
- You may have had a head injury in the past that can caused a problem affecting your inner ear balance/vestibular system. Throw in a whiplash injury on top of that, and there is another possible contributing cause to your dizziness.
- You may have positional vertigo, which has a very specific and common cause of interfering with the vestibular and balance systems. You may or may not experience vertigo (a spinning sensation). In fact, sometimes the symptoms can be very vague, so that is why it often takes an experienced vestibular rehabilitation specialist to figure out and treat these problems successfully.
- There is a reason why the doctors told you to drink more water – That is because dehydration, especially with older people, is such a common cause of dizziness or lightheadedness. So make sure you ARE well-hydrated to make sure that this isn’t the problem. You can cross that off the list and consider other possibilities.
- Dizziness or vertigo CAN be caused by medications. Make sure you consult your doctor to rule out medications as a cause of dizziness. There IS a reason why doctors and emergency departments order all those brain scans and medical tests when someone is experiencing dizziness or vertigo, even though the most likely cause is a vestibular problem. The reason is, although more rare, dizziness and/or vertigo CAN be caused by life-threatening reasons such as a stroke, brain tumor, heart rhythm problems, etc. We as vestibular rehabilitation specialists look for these causes as a possibility of dizziness and/or vertigo as well and will send you to the right place quickly if we suspect anything life-threatening like that is going on. We are trained to look for those things. Very Important!
- You tried other Healthcare Professionals, Ear Nose & Throat specialists or a Physical Therapist in the past. They may have tried some basic testing and treatment, but it often requires an experienced and trained vestibular rehabilitation professional to make sure vestibular testing and treatment are done correctly. Ear Nose & Throat specialists are not necessary vestibular specialists, neither are Neurologists, per se. They can be, but you will find vestibular specialists are quite rare (Whether they be Ear Nose & Throat specialists, Neurologists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Chiropractors, or Psychiatrists).
- You have done endless medical testing because surely a large hospital with all its research institutions and fancy equipment should be able to figure this out. But too often this just ends up in frustration and a lot of medical testing. Maybe they even put you in that horrible spinning chair, all to tell you they didn’t know what’s wrong, or if they did know what’s wrong they didn’t know how to fix it. That wasn’t very fun!
- You may have ended up in the hospital recently or a long time ago. This is a VERY COMMON reason why people can get dizzy and/or develop balance problems. Lying in bed is not good for our vestibular system. Especially for older people, a hospital visit can be the beginning of that decline towards balance problems, dizziness, and falling. Staying in the hospital is horrible for balance, strength, and our Vestibular System.
If any of these dizziness, vertigo, balance, or vestibular problems have happened to you – we would love to help you by inviting you to book a call to talk with one of our vestibular rehabilitation professionals who work all over Dallas/Fort Worth to find out what can be done to help you. The fact that you’ve tried any or all of these things already is actually a GOOD THING because when you know what doesn’t work – you are closer to finding the thing that does!
Click the blow to book a call with us if you would like to get some solid advice given to you over the phone. The phone call is complimentary and there is no obligation to book any appointments with us after the call is over. Our goal is to help you make the right decision about what to do next for your health and independence.
“What Can I Do To Get Back To Just Getting Out In The Community & Enjoy Life Again Without Having To Worry About This Dizziness &/Or Vertigo?”…
Here’s 4 things you can do:
- First off, you need to make a decision about getting help.So many people procrastinate for so long, thinking they’re “not ready yet”, have to deal with some other problems first, wait to see the next doctor they have an appointment with… but then 6 months down the line they’re still putting up with it, and nothing’s changed… Or it gets worse.
- Start Walking Every Day, Preferably Outside – taking a brisk walk of continuously walking, without stopping, for up to 10, 15, 30, 45 minutes will not only help your heart and your lungs, but it will help your balance and vestibular system. It’s ok if it makes you feel more dizzy. That will get better if you do it consistently. Walking outside challenges your balance and vestibular system even more than on a flat surface, and its usually a lot more enjoyable too.
- Live Your Life As Much As You Can– The best way to get the best results when having problems with dizziness &/or vertigo is to continue living your life and DON’T GIVE UP. We know it’s hard. We work with this problem every day. The more you continue to live your life, be physically active, and get out into the community, the better off you will be. Once you get treatment for your problem, the treatment will go smoother, be less expensive, and you will get better results faster. If you live your life without treatment at all, you will be much better off than if you start shying away from living your life. If you get more dizzy doing something, keep doing it (Unless you get headaches with it. Then you need to talk to your neurologist about controlling your headache).
- Find A Vestibular Specialist – Find a specialist that will find the actual CAUSE of your dizziness and/or vertigo or balance problems. There is ALWAYS an exact and specific CAUSE. And it’s never “Because of Age.” By getting on the right path, finding the true cause of the problem, will also empower you on the path to solving this problem over the long-term.
If you would like to know how Optimove Physical Therapy & Wellness can help you with your balance and reduce your risk of falling – we invite you to start with a completely free, no-obligation, risk free appointment in the comfort of your own home.
Note: This Free Discovery Visit is something that we offer to people so they can get more information face-to-face with us, in-person, so you know who your team is. Maybe you are unsure of the benefits we can provide for you, or if it is right for you. We understand you may have been let down in the past, so we want you to have as much information as you can without any cost or obligation before you commit to anything. If that sounds like you, then please start with a Free Discovery Visit that we can work with you to find out what is wrong and what can be done – without any financial risk on your part.
So the next question is:
“How Can Choosing to See a Physical Therapist from Optimove Physical Therapy & Wellness Find You REAL Solutions To Your Problems With Dizziness &/Or Vertigo or Balance Problems - In The Next Few Days?”
- We can let you know what the true cause of your dizziness and/or vertigo so you can have peace of mind starting with the FIRST SESSION (The Initial Evaluation Or Even The Discovery Visit).
- We can EMPOWER you on your own journey, with your plan, specific to you, and the cause of your dizziness and/or vertigo or balance problems, so you have control in this situation, possibly for the first time!
- We will work with your problem holistically by looking at you, your environment, your daily activities, medical history, and what you desire to get back to doing to live your life.
- We will tailor-make your program around you, your ambitions, your wants, what you truly want to get back to doing. We will be RELENTLESS to achieve this, and WE WILL NOT STOP until you tell us. We will NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU!
- We can help progress your treatment each step of the way. That is why this is often a journey, not a quick fix. Treating dizziness and improving balance is a step-by-step process that requires persistency, consistency, and work. Are you ready?
- We are another medical provider that can keep an eye on you and communicate with your doctor when needed. This is a holistic medical approach as well.
- We can help you get back to enjoying quality time with family and friends that this problem has taken from you.
If you would like to enquire about availability, you can contact at (214) 712-8242 and reach out to us TODAY. There is no obligation to call. Do not hesitate to begin the journey to solve this problem
About The Vestibular System
The inner ear balance system (Vestibular System) consists of the vestibular organ (the snail-looking thing with tubes coming out of it) located deep in the ear (deeper than where you got ear infections as a kid). There are two of these organs, one for each ear. From there, these organs have nerves that make direct connections with the brainstem (a relay station), the cerebellum (the cauliflower-looking part of the brain that helps with coordination), the eye muscles (so we can see clearly when we move our head), and the spinal cord (to connect this whole system with the rest of the body). This system also connects to higher parts of the brain.
The Problem With Vestibular Disorders In Our Healthcare System
The greatest challenge with dizziness and vertigo is its obscurity in our healthcare system. Part of this obscurity problem is the over-reliance on tests and imaging in current healthcare, which are ineffective in diagnosing vestibular disorders. A thorough patient history and clinical examination is needed to verify a vestibular disorder This is a problem world-wide1, 2 where dizziness and vertigo are addressed in healthcare with an over-prescription of medications and imaging.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Referrals to the right specialists are underutilized.9 When patients with dizziness or vertigo are referred, they will often see many different specialists before ending up in a vestibular clinic.10 By this point, these patients are left frustrated with many unsuccessful treatments.4
Vestibular Rehabilitation
References
- Benecke H, Agus S, Kuessner D, Goodall G, Strupp M. The burden and impact of vertigo: findings from the REVERT patient registry. Fronteirs in Neurology. 2013;4(136):1-7
- Grill E, Penger M, Kentala E. Health care utilization, prognosis and outcomes of vestibular disease in primary are settings: a systematic review. J Neurol. 2016;263(1):S36-S44.
- Bhattacharyya N, Gubbels SP, Swartz SR, Edlow JA, El-Kashlan H, Fife T, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Benign Parosysmal Positional Vertigo (Update). Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 2017;156(3S):S1-S47.
- Grill E, Strupp M, Müller M, Klaus J. Health services utilization of patients with vertigo in primary care: a retrospective cohort study. J Neurol.2014;261:1492-1498.
- Wang H, Yu D, Song N, Yin S. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo associated with current practice. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014;271:261-264.
- Brevern MN, Radtke A, Lezius F, Feldmann M, Ziese T, Lempert T, Neuhauser H. Epidemiology of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: a population based study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2007;78:710-715
- Li JC, Li CJ, Epley J, et al. Cost-effective management of benign positional vertigo using canalith repositioning. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;122:334-339.
- Fife D, FitzGerald JE. Do patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo receive prompt treatment? Analysis of waiting times and human and financial costs associated with current practice. Int J Audiol. 2005;44:50-57
- Polensek SH, Sterk CE, Tusa RJ. Screening for vestibular disorders: A study of clinicians’ compliance with recommended practices. Med Sci Monit. 2008;14(5):CR238-242
- Obermann M, Bock E, Sabev N et al. Long-term outcome of vertigo and dizziness associated disorders following treatment in specialized tertiary care: the Dizziness and Vertigo Registry (DiVeR) Study. J Neurol . 2015;262(9):2083–2091.
- Neuhauser HK, Radtke A, von Brevern M, Lezius FL, Feldmann M, Lempert T. Burden of Dizziness and Vertigo in the Community. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(19):2118-2124.
- Agrawal Y, Carey JP, Santina CCD, Schubert MC, Minor LB. Disorders of Balance and Vestibular Dysfunction in US Adults. Data From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2004. Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(10):938-944
- Liao WL, Chang TP, Chen HJ, Kao CH. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is associated with an increased risk of fracture: a population-based cohort study. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015;45(5):406-412.
- Bosner S, Schwarm S, Grevenrath P, Schmidt L, Horner K, Beidatsch D, et al. Prevalence, aetiologies and prognosis of the symptom dizziness in primary care – a systematic review. BMC Family Practice. 2018;19(1):33
- Culic V, Miric D, Eterovic D. Correlation between symptomatology and site of acute myocardial infarction. International Journal of Cardiology. 2001;77:163-168.
- Newman-Toker DE, Dy FJ, Stanton VA, Zee DS, Calkins H, Robinson KA. How Often is Dizziness from Primary Cardiovascular Disease True Vertigo? A Systematic Review. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23(12):2087-2094
- Kattah JC, Talkad AV, Wang DZ, Hsieh YH, Newman-Toker DE. HINTS to Diagnose Stroke in the Acute Vestibular Syndrome. Stroke. 2009;40:3504-3510
- Welgampola MS, Akdal G, Halmagyi M. Neuro-otology- some recent clinical advances. J Neurol. 2017;264:188-203
- Kundakci B, Sultana A, Taylor AJ, Alshehri MA. The effectiveness of exercise-based vestibular rehabilitation in adult patients with chronic dizziness: A systematic review. F1000Research. 2018;7:276
Contact US
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Optimove Physical Therapy & Wellness, LLC
(For Mail Only)
7324 Gaston Ave., Suite 124, #343
Dallas, TX 75214
(214) 712–8242
Fax: (214) 712-8243
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