unsteady or dizzy

Balance is Important for Health and Safety

By Ryan Fairchild, IPMR Physical Therapist and Deb Adlington, IPMR Marketing Director
re you feeling unsteady or dizzy? Dont ignore these feelings and hope they will pass. Your balance is important. Good balance allows you to maintain strength, avoid injury, and prevent falls. Early detection of a problem will decrease your risk of falls. Falls can be dangerous and even life-threatening, especially in older people. There are many reasons your balance may become disrupted. Injuries from sports, auto, or other accidents can cause instability. Cancer treatments interfere with balance. A medical condition like Parkinsons disease can cause balance problems. Pediatric developmental delays, neurological conditions, vertigo, and inner ear problems are other common causes for unsteady balance. Identifying a Balance Problem Everyone has a dizzy spell now and then, but the term dizziness may mean something different to different people. For some people, dizziness might be a fleeting sensation of spinning, while for others it is intense and lasts a long time. Experts believe that more than four out of 10 Americans will experience an episode of dizziness significant enough to send them to a doctor. To help you decide whether or not you should seek medical help for a dizzy spell, ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of these questions, talk to your doctor. Do I feel unsteady? Do I feel as if the room is spinning around me? Do I feel as if Im moving when I know Im sitting or standing still? Do I lose my balance and fall? Do I feel as if Im falling? Do I feel lightheaded or as if I might faint? Do I have blurred vision?  Do I ever feel disoriented, such as losing my sense of time or where I am? It would be helpful to keep a journal about balance issues and take it to your doctor. Your doctor can discuss your symptoms and identify if there could be simple reasons for your unsteadiness such as medication or illness. If the problem is more complex, your doctor may refer you to therapy for balance correction. Correcting Balance Problems Rehabilitation begins with an evaluation to thoroughly assess your balance problems. After the evaluation, treatment may include therapy interventions such as strengthening, balance and gait re-training, exercise, activities of daily living, and safety and equipment recommendations. For some conditions, more extensive evaluation or treatment may be needed using a computer-based system that evaluates all areas of patient balance both static and dynamic. Balance and Concussion Hard impact and repetitive blows to the head are becoming more and more common on the athletic field, but there is also a growing
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awareness of athlete safety. Knowing when it is safe to return-to-play can be a difficult decision. Balance has been identified as one of the three assessment pillars, along with cognitive assessment and a symptoms checklist, for making safe return-to-play decisions. A balance assessment with objective data that can be compared to a baseline or validated norms to aide in this important decision-making process. IPMR offers balance rehabilitation as part of the IPMR Balance and Vestibular Program. Computer analysis is available at IPMR for balance. This analysis pinpoints your specific issues in order to plan and implement corrective action. IPMR is a leader in balance rehabilitation offering balance as part of larger comprehensive programs for concussion management and STAR cancer rehabilitation. Call IPMR at 309-692-8670. Learn more at ipmr.org. See Events on ipmr.org for dates and times of free balance screenings.