Check out our August 2023 Newsletter, highlighting physical therapy for rotator cuff tears, best exercise to address ankle stiffness, physical therapy for vertigo, and aquatic therapy balance training.

Vertigo can dramatically affect your quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vertigo involves a false sense of motion, a sensation in which the individual feels that they or their environment is spinning even when sitting or standing still. Physical therapy can reduce and eliminate the symptoms of vertigo, assess and treat the underlying cause of vertigo, retrain the brain to adapt to vestibular dysfunctions and help individuals regain balance and coordination safely.

Check out our November 2022 Newsletter, debunking 10 physical therapy myths and highlighting vestibular dysfunction treatment, exercises after breast cancer surgery, and the Friends of the Poor Walk sponsorship with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Vestibular dysfunction refers to an impairment of the structures of the inner ear that affects your balance and spatial orientation. When the vestibular system is not working properly, the brain does not receive correct information about head motion and movement from the vestibular nerves, which can result in dizziness, vertigo, lack of balance, spatial disorientation, and frequent falls. Vestibular dysfunction can be treated with vestibular rehabilitation therapy, which involves manual head maneuvers and progressive exercises to improve gaze and gait instability, reduce head motion-induced dizziness and fall risk, improve fitness, and enhance functional visual skills.

On the blog, physical therapist Jen demonstrates several exercises to improve your balance. Balance is critical to your daily life, allowing you to walk, climb up and downstairs, and prevent falls. Good balance allows you to maintain a stable, upright position when standing, walking and sitting. Improving your balance has many benefits including increased body awareness, joint stability, coordination, posture, and athletic performance as well as reduced risk of injury and falling. Physical therapy can help you improve your balance safely and address underlying issues causing your balance problems.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. One of the most common brain injuries is a concussion, a mild traumatic brain injury that can lead to physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Effective, timely, and well-monitored treatment after a concussion is critical for a full recovery and safe return to sport. Physical therapists are qualified to manage concussions through evidence-based treatment protocols and a personalized rehabilitation program that includes vestibular rehabilitation, manual therapy, balance training, and a graded, progressive exercise program.  

A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury that can cause physical, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. It can happen during sports, due to a fall, or a car or work accident. Physical therapists use evidence-based treatment and a rehabilitation treatment plan customized to the specific needs of the patient to help them recuperate safely and return to activity. Receiving timely, well-monitored treatment for a concussion is critical to achieving full recovery.

The start of fall brings with it the excitement of a new sports season. Training for the fall season begins in the summer so that athletes are prepared and ready for a successful season. However, due to contact or overuse, sports injuries can occur. Physical therapy can help student-athletes regain strength, function, and range of motion safely following sports injuries.

Vertigo and vestibular dysfunction affect a person’s quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Vestibular dysfunction results in symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness, vertigo, impaired postural control, and imbalance. Vertigo intensifies the feeling of dizziness into a spinning, tilting sensation. Using vestibular rehabilitation therapy, physical therapists treat a patient with vertigo or vestibular dysfunction, alleviate symptoms, improve balance, and reduce fall risk.