People who suffer from an inner ear or balance disorder are often diagnosed with a condition referred to as Vestibular Disorder. The vestibular system in the human body includes the various parts of the brain and inner ear whose functions include controlling eye movements as well as body balance.
If any parts of this system are damaged by disease, aging or injury, the disorder may result. Patients who have been diagnosed with Vestibular Disorder suffer from vertigo and dizziness, imbalance and spatial disorientation, vision disturbances, hearing dysfunctions, and cognitive and psychological effects.
Vestibular disorder symptoms can be frightening because the changes are difficult to explain or understand by the person suffering from it. Due to the cognitive effects, patients are sometimes mistaken to be inattentive, lazy, overly anxious, or seeking attention before they are diagnosed. When normal activities are severely affected, these may occur:
- Loss of self-reliance, self-confidence, self-esteem
- Anxiety, panic, social isolation
- Depression
Functioning at work or school, going through normal daily tasks, or just getting out of bed in the morning becomes hard when you’re suffering from vestibular disorders, forcing you to live a sedentary life.
Vestibular Disorder can be treated. If you or someone you know suffers through the symptoms we’ve mentioned above, consult with our professionals at Oklahoma Physical Therapy for possible treatment through Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT).
What is Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)?
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy is a specialized form of therapy intended to alleviate the symptoms of vestibular disorder through special exercises and compensation strategies. The exercise-based program will focus first on reducing vertigo and dizziness, gaze instability, and/or imbalance and falls.
Compensation happens naturally when the brain starts to use other senses to compensate for the deficiency suffered by the vestibular system. Studies show that VRT can be an effective treatment to improve symptoms related to a vestibular disorder.
How we can help
Vestibular rehabilitation therapy at Oklahoma Physical Therapy uses a problem-oriented approach to healing.
A comprehensive clinical examination is performed first to identify the patient’s vestibular disorder. Then an exercise program is designed to address and alleviate diagnosed issues.
Consult with our professional physical therapists at Oklahoma Physical Therapy so we can start your treatment. We have clinicians in each clinic at Oklahoma Physical Therapy with specialized, advanced training in VRT that are ready to help you get back to living your life like you want to!
We are dedicated to helping you get back to the quality of life you richly deserve. Contact us today and schedule an appointment so we can assess and start treating your vestibular disorder.