Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy Now Offered at Marshall Browning Hospital
"I can bend over and pet our dog and I can now lay in bed without the room spinning." Hearing that remark was music to Physical Therapist Jacqueline Gomes' ears. Ronald Winders, from West Frankfort, loved to pet his dog. But he was unable to bend over to pet his dog or even tie his shoes since his motorcycle accident on September 4, 2005. Winders fractured his hip socket as a result of his accident and had been flat on his back for 13 weeks. Once he was no longer required to be in bed, he found that he was so dizzy he could not do simple things like bending over to pick up something or even looking up for 3 to 4 seconds. His family physician, Dr. Craig Furry, in Du Quoin, recommended he take Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy at Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin. Mr. Winders remarked, "After one treatment, the dizziness was 99% gone. After the second treatment, I was totally cured."
Individuals, such as Mr. Winders, who experience reoccurring episodes of dizziness can now get treatment for their condition at Marshall Browning Hospital's Rehabilitation Center. Jacqueline Gomes, Physical Therapist at Marshall Browning Hospital, has completed specialized training in Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT). The therapy department is offering this treatment to individuals experiencing vertigo/dizziness or problems with balance.
Balance is such an important part of our everyday lives, yet we can take it granted most of the time as we maintain our sense of balance at a sub-conscious level. "Balance disorder" is one of the two most common diagnoses among short-stay hospital admissions in individuals over the age of 65. Each year, nearly 8 million patients visit their physician for evaluation and treatment of dizziness. 85% of all cases of dizziness are caused by disturbances in the inner ear. Two general categories of symptoms are dizzness (vertigo) and equilibrium (imbalance or unsteadiness).
People with vestibular disorders may suffer from increased motion sickness and increased sensitivity to noise and bright lights. Because of interactions with other parts of the nervous system, patients may also have difficulty with vision especially in areas of low lighting or full field stimulus (busy carpeting or wallpaper, heavy traffic areas).
BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) is the most common form of vertigo and one of the easiest to diagnose and treat, as in the case of Mr. Winders. The condition is characterized by vertigo or a sensation of spinning that may last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Patients diagnosed with BPPV are often told they have "rocks" moving around in their inner ear. It is theorized that calcium carbonate crystals become misplaced in the inner ear either by trauma, infection, or degenerative changes of the vestibular system. The misplaced "rocks" are provoked by specific head movements, such as rolling out of bed, bending over, or looking up, giving the sensation of movement of the body or the environment.
Vestibular Rehabilitation is an alternative form of treatment for inner ear disorders. Physical Therapists review your medical history, determine your general condition and perform simple tests to evaluate your balance, gait and motion sensitivity; then they will design a program which involves symptom-specific, individualized exercises designed to decrease dizziness and improve balance function. The goal is to eliminate the symptoms and/or help a person compensate for a loss or imbalance within the vestibular system. Treatment for BPPV includes the canalith repositioning procedure, possibly a single-visit treatment approach to positional vertigo. Vestibular rehabilitation principles can be applied to pediatric, adult and geriatric individuals.
Referrals for Vestibular Rehabilitation can be made by your ENT's, Family Practice, Neurologists, Orthopedic Physicians, Gerontologists, or Internal Medicine Physicians. For further information or to set up an appointment, please call Marshall Browning Rehab at 542-2146, ext. 1099. We're looking forward to getting you steady on your feet again!