Does The Site Of The Lesion For Vertigo Matter For Balance Exercises?

Balance Exercises Help With Symptoms Of Vertigo

By Suzanne Stoke, Physical Therapist @ Exercise For Balance via www.exerciseforbalance.com

       Doctors, medical researchers and physical therapists often wonder if practicing balance exercises help people who have vertigo. Please see     http://www.exerciseforbalance.com/buy-now In discussions with patients as well as other physical therapists, I have often been a part of a conversation that asks why some people with vertigo respond quickly to treatments and why some patients recover from symptoms of vertigo over the long haul. Some healthcare professionals believe that the answer to that question lies in the site of injury or lesion that causes the vertigo. Other patients and medical professionals wonder if the location of the lesion makes a difference with treatments given to combat the feelings of dizziness and imbalance. For instance,  at the American Institute of Balance, the question was asked, "Does the location of the lesion effect Vestibular Rehabilitation treatment protocols and outcomes? Why do some patients have spontaneous central compensation and others do not? Why do some patients have a faster and more successful recovery than do others?" Although, we have recognized the location of the lesion as a critical variable, thanks to the recent publication by Becker-Bense et al (Vestibular compensation in acute unilateral medullary infarction. Neurology 80, 2013; 1103-1109) we now have physiologic documentation with PET scans. The inability of clinical diagnostic procedures, especially reduced caloric response, to differentiate labyrinthine end-organ from neuropathy or central vestibular pathway involvement has always presented a challenge. Unlike the auditory system there is no definitive clinical assessment method of identifying whether the vestibulopathy or reduced labyrinthine response is sensory or neural.  Do those patients with more peripheral or ear lesions i.e. vestibular neuritis, produce a compensation differently than those we’ve suspected a centrally mediated dysfunction i.e. at the level of the vestibular nuclei? Should we employ different Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy protocols based on the location of the deficit? The researchers looked at two groups of patients, those with a diagnosed acute peripheral vestibular loss vs. those with radiographically confirmed acute brainstem infarct.  The resulting PET scans showed varying areas of the loci of compensation. The subjects with peripheral involvement showed compensation within the cortex and the infarct patient’s compensation was largely brainstem and cerebellar. This may help explain why numerous investigators (Balaban, Furman, Whitney, Herdman, Gans and others) have advocated the use of concentration and attention as facilitators of central compensation. Balaban’s theory of engaging the cortex throughout therapy now has been validated beyond our anecdotal experience with patients. Thankfully, now there is a program of balance exercises presented in a step by step format in a professionally filmed DVD that can be used at home to help with symptoms of vertigo and imbalance, whether the lesion is   central or peripheral.

Balance Exercises Help With Central And Peripheral Vertigo

    Medical researchers have shown that practicing balance exercises on a daily basis can benefit those individuals who have  experiences of vertigo and disequilibrium due to central or peripheral lesions. Basic equilibrium routines like standing on one foot or walking heel to toe along a line can improve stability. Additionally, by performing those steadiness exercises while focusing on the sense of touch between ones feet and the floor, the individual will maximize their sensory input to the balance system in the brain, which reduces the symptoms of vertigo and enhances steadiness. As mentioned in the above study, if you add attention and concentration directed activities, like focusing on the sense of touch between your feet and the floor or counting backwards from 100 by three's, to your balance routine, you will be able to advance your balance skills to a greater degree. You can learn specific balance exercises developed by a knowledgeable Physical Therapist in the Exercise For Balance DVD.

Balance Exercises In The Exercise For Balance DVD

    To begin an extensive program of the best balance exercises, get the Exercise For Balance DVD. The Exercise For Balance DVD is the perfect Balance DVD to use at home or in a group setting. The Exercise For Balance DVD is loaded with the best balance and strength exercises needed to enhance overall fitness and to perform basic activities like grocery shopping, walking, standing, stair climbing or to advance to high level activities like playing golf, dancing and hiking. In the Exercise For Balance DVD, you will learn how to improve balance, steadiness techniques and balance routines from a balance trainer (licensed Physical Therapist) who has worked with balance and dizziness disorders for over 20 years. Get your copy of the Exercise For Balance DVD by clicking on the BUY NOW button

Regain your activity level by starting balance exercises today with the Exercise For Balance DVD to improve balance and prevent falls.
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