Causes of Balance Problems
It is often difficult to pinpoint the underlying causes of balance problems. Our balance system relies on our ears, eyes, and sensory receptors working together to maintain our steadiness. According to the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, over 36% of Australians over fifty report some form of dizziness or vertigo. Conditions such as Meniere’s Disease and Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) result in the sufferer losing confidence on their feet which may lead to serious falls.
Ability Hearing and Balance provides comprehensive balance and vestiblar assessment to help with the diagnosis of balance disorders…
Chronic balance disorders can make everyday tasks like shopping or walking down the stairs seem daunting. Symptoms to look out for include a spinning or moving sensation, a loss of balance, unsteadiness, giddiness and headaches. To make matters worse, testing for balance issues is not readily available or well understood.
“We are trying to figure out whether the balance issue is peripheral – Is it isolated to our sensing organs like our ears and ears,” explains Mr Nick Modrovich – Audiologist, “or whether the problem is caused by declining function in our brains.”
As our balance organ is located within our ears, balance testing starts with a hearing test. “We test for BPPV. This is the condition where the calcium crystals have loosened in our inner ear which then overstimulate the system,” says Nick, “This causes dizziness and even nausea in some people. BPPV can easily be resolved with the Epley manoeuvre in clinic.”
“Specialised camera equipment records your eye movements in the clinic. The full test can take about two hours depending on the patient. It really is a case of piecing together the findings to determine the potential cause of the dysfunction.”
You can now access full balance testing in our Kingston clinic. Contact us using the link below to find out more or call 1300 327 776.
