Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation Program

The Denton Regional Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation Program is a specialized form of physical therapy designated to promote habituation and compensation for a wide variety of balance and vestibular disorders. The goal of the program is to improve balance, decrease dizziness and minimize falls by restoring normal vestibular function and postural control. Typically, the program is designed for patients with vestibular or balance disorders causing any of the following symptoms: Vertigo/dizziness Frequent falls Disequilibrium/unsteadiness Gait difficulty Ringing in ears and/or hearing loss Restrictions of daily activities Nausea Persistent headache

There are many causes or reasons why a patient may need a vestibular and balance evaluation. Some of these reasons may include:

• Labyrinthitis-inner ear infection 
• Benign Proxsymal Positional Vertigo 
• Acute vertigo caused by head trauma or whiplash 
• Chronic vertigo caused by chemical or drug toxicity 
• Acoustic neuromas 
• Meniere’s Disease 
• Age-related multi-sensory deficits 
• Stroke and vascular insufficiencies

Services

Denton Regional’s Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation program services include any of the following:

• A comprehensive evaluation in vestibular, proprioceptive, and visual system with state of the art equipment including the Biodex Balance Master
• Analysis of functional abilities
• Ambulation with head movement, turns and speed changes
• Neuromuscular integrity
• Muscle strength
• Static/dynamic balance when sitting and standing
• A personalized exercise protocol focusing on restoring muscle strength
• Enhancement of eye-head coordination to maintain stable gaze 
  Improvement of postural control
• Gait stability

A typical patient will receive 2-3 outpatient therapy sessions per week for approximately 4-6 weeks.

Your care team

On your rehabilitation journey, we use a team approach with you and your family as primary members. Your Denton Regional team will include:

• Physician:  Our team is lead by Dr. Junior DeFrietas, a board certified Ear, Nose and Throat specialist
• Physical Therapist (with extensive training in  Vestibular Rehabilitation, balance testing, and balance correction therapy)

Other Members of the team may include:

• Speech Language Pathologist
• Occupational Therapist

Balance Self Test:  If you answer Yes to more than one of these questions, you may have a balance problem:

1. Have you fallen in the past year?
2.  Do you take medication for two or more of the following diseases, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis, anxiety, or depression?
3. Do you experience dizziness or feel unsteady?
4. Have you had a stroke or other neurological problem affecting your balance?
5. Do you have numbness in your legs an/or feet? 
6. Do you use a walker or wheelchair, or need assistance to get around?
7. Are you inactive? (answer yes if you do not participate in a regular form of exercise such as walking for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times a week.)
8. Do you feel unsteady when you walk or climb stairs?
9. Do you have difficulty sitting down or rising from a seated
   or rising from a seated or lying position?

For the best choice in rehabilitation programs and services, please call us at: (940) 384-3950