Vestibular & Balance Training

908.852.5400

If you suffer from decreased balance, unexplained falls, dizziness or even vertigo, Synergy can give you the relief you need. We’ll match you with a licensed physical therapist that has specialized training in vestibular rehabilitation and can create a plan of care to treat the various causes for imbalance or dizziness. Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise approach to remedy loss of balance and dizziness associated with vestibular pathology and to promote brain adaptation.

Vestibular Disorders

Vestibular disorders are caused by problems with the inner ear and balance. They can be acute or chronic, and we can help treat both types. Vestibular disorder can be caused by disease, injury, genetics, environmental conditions or an unknown cause. Common disorders include:

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): Displacement of calcium crystals of the inner ear that result in vertigo, or a feeling of dizziness or spinning sensation.
Meniere's disease: Can cause sudden attacks of vertigo and fluid in the inner ear. It’s unclear what causes it, but it could be linked to autoimmune responses, viruses, migraines, or heredity.
Migraines: Patients who experience migraines may have issues with balance and dizziness.
Vestibular neuritis/Labyrinthitis: Inner ear infections that disrupt the transmission of sensory information from ear to brain which can affect balance and cause dizziness and vertigo
Other conditions: There are numerous other vestibular disorders that may benefit from therapy and balance training.

Cervical Disorders

Cervical disorders involve the neck, back and spine and can also cause problems with balance. Though not all the specific causes are known, you may experience cervical vertigo as a result of:

Neck or posture problems
Trauma to the spine (such as whiplash from a car accident)
Disruption of the head and neck alignment, often in conjunction with head injury
Cervical spondylosis, a degenerative condition that affects joints and discs in your neck

Vestibular Rehabilitation and Balance Training Treatments

Our treatment program begins with a comprehensive, customized evaluation. Goals of your treatment may include posture correction, retraining your brain’s ability to adjust or compensate, improving balance, decreasing dizziness and increasing your activity level. Your practitioner may design a home exercise program that is specific to your tolerance, physical condition, and diagnosis. Treatment is effective because vestibular exercises can help to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from your balance system. As you work with your therapist, you’ll become desensitized to movements that provoke symptoms, strengthen muscles and increase your general activity level.

We offer the following treatments:

Canalith Repositioning Treatment: Designed to effectively treat BPPV, this procedure involves specific head maneuvers and exercises that will help relocate inner ear particles to their correct position and alleviate dizziness.
Habituation Exercises: Helps treat motion sensitivities and vestibular disorders.
Stabilization and Balance Training: This therapy can help a wide range of orthopedic and/or neurological conditions, and involves exercises completed over a period of time that speed recovery and reduce dizziness.
Fall Risk Assessment and Conditioning: We’ll assess you condition and develop a complete conditioning program that will increase your balance and help reduce the risk of falls.
Cervicogenic Dizziness Treatment: Includes postural exercises, specialized stretching techniques, soft tissue mobilization, and balance training are all treatments that will help improve this type of dizziness.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Training (VOR training): A complete program of related therapies and exercises that can promote recovery. It involves a customized series of exercises that will treat your specific symptoms and needs.