Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation Specialists  |  Monmouth & Ocean County - NJ  |  Crest Physical Therapy

Balance is vital to normal every day life activities such as getting out of a chair and walking, bending over to put on your shoes, washing your hair, driving a car, or going grocery shopping. Just about everything you do in your daily life, whether for work or leisure, requires balance control and most of the time you do not have to think about it. When balance problems start to occur they can cause profound disruptions in your daily life. In addition to increased risk for falls, balance disorders can shorten your attention span, disrupt normal sleep patterns and cause excessive fatigue. Individuals with balance and dizziness problems can have trouble with the simplest of tasks.

Balance Control Process

The ability to maintain balance is a complex process that depends on three major body components. These are your sensory systems for accurate information about your body’s position, your brain’s ability to process this information and your muscles and joints for coordinating the movements required to maintain balance.The Balance Institute Solution

Our Balance Institute therapists specialize in vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT). We provide a multidisciplinary balance testing approach that includes Neurological, Audiological and Physical Therapy evaluation and treatment protocols. Crest therapists utilize the NeuroCom Smart Balance Master – developed by NASA to monitor balance and motor skills for the space program.

Our computerized equilibrium tests will evaluate the sensory and motor parts of your balance system. The sensory systems include your sense of touch/position (feet, ankles, and joints), your vision and your inner ear motion sensors. Motor tests measure your ability to execute coordinated movements, both voluntary and involuntary, to maintain your balance. These tests will help define the cause of your balance problem and will help the balance specialist develop a customized treatment protocol for maximum benefit.

NeuroCom Smart Balance Master is used by Crest to evaluate and treat vestibular and balance disorders
Crest Physical Therapists also provide services designed to prevent or slow down the progression of balance disorder conditions that may develop from injury, disease, and other causes. Our professionals help patients affected by balance disorders to regain function, using exercises designed for the individual’s specific weakness.

Crest Physical Therapy works closely with those medical specialists who diagnose and treat disorders of the brain and nervous system. This includes Otolaryngologists, Neurosurgeons, Audiologists and your family physician.

Facts about Falls and Balance Disorders
Misconceptions:
• Loss of balance is a fact of life as we grow older.
• People with dizziness, vertigo or vestibular (inner ear) dysfunction just have to “live with it.”
• Falls are inevitable as we age.
In reality, balance disorders and vertigo can be treated and controlled!

Facts:
• Proper evaluation and diagnosis of balance and fall related issues are critical to correcting the problem
• Treatment can greatly reduce the symptoms of dizziness, vertigo and equilibrium. Therapy can improve the loss of flexibility and strength associated with age due to lack of activity.
• The effects of aging are not solely responsible for loss of balance or the symptoms of dizziness and vertigo.

Balance Self Test

1. Have you fallen more than once in thepast year? Yes ? No

2. Do you take medicine for two or more of the following diseases: heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, anxiety or depression?
Yes ? No

3. Do you feel dizzy or unsteady if you make sudden changes in movement, such as bending down or quickly turning? Yes ? No

4. Do you have black-outs or seizures? Yes ? No

5. Have you experienced a stroke or other neurological problem that has affected your balance? Yes ? No

6. Do you experience numbness or loss of sensation in your legs and/or feet? ? Yes ? No

7. Do you use a walker or wheelchair, or do you need assistance to get around? Yes ? No

8. Are you inactive? (Answer yes if you do not participate in a regular form of exercise, such as walking 20-30 minutes at least three times a week.) Yes ? No

9. Do you feel unsteady when you are walking or climbing stairs? Yes ? No

10. Do you have difficulty sitting down or rising from a seated or lying position? Yes ? No

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