While most of us wrestle with balancing work and zfamily life, eating a balanced diet or balancing our checkbooks, some people struggle to maintain balance itself.
Have you ever had trouble descending stairs without becoming wobbly? Does vertigo occur as you reach toward a grocery shelf? Have you become dizzy when you back up your car? Have you recently experienced or suffered from a fall?
As we age, our body's systems become less effective in maintaining body balance. Couple this natural process with diminishing vision, arthritic joints, weakening muscles, heart disease, blood vessel disease, nerve problems, diabetes, or dizzy spells from medication side effects, and it's easy to understand why you might struggle to maintain your balance.
Balance problems are becoming a bigger medical issue and aren't always easy to diagnose or treat. When you seek help, it can be a frustrating cycle. It may be difficult for a doctor to accurately evaluate all the body systems that play a role in maintaining balance. The result is that you may require specialized testing and consultations with a number of different specialists at various locations.
If you struggle with dizziness or poor balance, Seton Medical Center offers a specialized hospital - based center, The Balance and Mobility Center, dedicated to treating balance disorders.
The Center's primary advantage is an ability to diagnose the frequently complex causes of balance problems. An audiologist administers advanced computerized tests that determine how well your brain, eyes, ears, neck, back and joints are working to maintain balance.
Based upon these findings, therapists specializing in balance and vestibular rehabilitation develop a customized treatment plan based on specific areas of impairment and functional limitations.
Utilizing the latest technology and a team approach, the Center can help patients improve overall function and quality of life.
If you suffer from dizziness or poor balance, I encourage you to seek the proper diagnosis and treatment so you can enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Steven Kmucha, M.D.
is an otolaryngologist
( ear, nose and throat specialist ) affiliated
with Seton Medical
Center, Daly City.
Balance and mobility quiz
- Do you have trouble walking or need to use a walker
or wheelchair assistance to get around?
- Do quick or sudden movements, such as bending
down, make you feel dizzy or unsteady?
- Do you feel as if the room is spinning or feel the
sensation that you are spinning?
- Do you have numbness or loss of sensation in your
legs or feet?
- Do you have light - headedness, migraines, black - outs
or seizures?
- Have you fallen in the past six months?
- Do you take more than four medications regularly?
- Do you have problems with your vision?
- Have you experienced any neurological ( stroke ) or
orthopedic problems that are affecting your balance?
- Do you have difficulty rising from a chair or from
your bed?
If you checked any of the above boxes, talk to you physician. Information on the Seton Medical Center Balance and Mobility Center may be found at www.setonmedicalcenter.org; click on Patient Services; scroll to All Medical Specialties; select Balance and Mobility Center.
