Feeling dizzy? Head spinning?
Are you scared to turn your head or leave the house?
Is poor balance stealing your quality of life?
Dizziness is the number one complaint of persons over the age of 70 years. Of all balance dysfunction cases, 85% may be inner ear related. The inner ear hosts not only the hearing organ, but also the balance organ. That is why audiologists are involved in balance evaluations. Poor balance puts patients at risk for falling. Falls are currently the leading cause of accidental deaths in persons over the age of 65 years. Many falls can be prevented if the causes of imbalance are investigated and treated properly.
Balance is a specialised field of audiology and requires additional training and accreditation. Audiologists working with balance disorders evaluate the balance system to identify where the dysfunction occurs. The balance system is a most complex network involving the inner ear, brain and visual and somatosensory systems to maintain balance and a sense of orientation. As we move frequently and things also move around us, it becomes a complicated task to maintain exact and accurate orientation of our whereabouts. It is easily disrupted by even minor changes in any of the involved systems and can lead to imbalance, vertigo or dizziness. In vestibular testing, a thorough case history together with careful evaluations of the different structures can help us to identify the origin of the problem. From there we can manage the situation. Depending on what we find, we may refer to other healthcare professionals, such as ENT specialists, Neurologists, Physio therapists etc. Often, we can offer and start treatment ourselves, such as Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) or Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers (CRM). CRM is done when a patient has BPPV, a condition where the “crystals” in the balance organ are dislocated. VRT is therapy done to help the balance system with compensation. VRT improves or restores balance function and coordination of head and eye movement. It also reduces the hallucinations of motion.