Vestibular (inner ear) disorders can cause imbalance, dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, anxiety and other symptoms with potentially devastating effects on a person's day-to-day functioning, risk of falling, ability to work, relationships with family and friends and quality of life.
On top of everything else, these disorders are often “invisible,” making it difficult for others to understand how disabling they can be. Diagnosing and treating vestibular disorders may not always be clear-cut, but there are effective testing procedures and treatments available, as well as medical professionals and clinicians who are specially trained in the evaluation and treatment of balance disorders.
For instance, computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) is a series of tests performed by an audiologist that measures how well you are able to maintain balance under different conditions. The benefits of CDP are well documented in clinical literature and Martin Memorial utilizes the state-of-the-art Neurocom SMART EquiTest Balance System for all CDP testing.
During testing, you as the patient are asked to stand as steady as possible on a platform inside a visual enclosure. The platform has sensors that measure how well you maintain your balance as the walls of the enclosure and the platform surface moves.
Some tests are designed to mimic different conditions encountered in every day life, while others are used to determine the source of the balance problem. Test results help provide a better understanding of the cause of your balance problems, which in turn allows physicians and therapists to focus on the abnormal system and to design effective treatment programs that can maximize functional abilities and minimize disruptive symptoms.
If you think you might be having problems with your balance, take the balance self-test at www.balanceandmobility.com. Then give us a call at the Raub Rehabilitation Center in Stuart at (772) 223-4936, for more information or to schedule an evaluation.
--Michele P. Phillips, Au.D., CCC-A
Audiologist
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