Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Summer 2018

Get your life back in BALANCE DO ANY OF THESE scenarios sound familiar? + + You lie down at night and feel like the room is spinning. + + You lean forward in a chair to stand up and feel like you are losing your balance. + + You turn your head quickly and a wave of dizziness passes over you for a second. If so, ask for a referral to Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC) for diagnosis and treatment. ACMC has physical therapists trained in diagnosing and treating many balance issues, otherwise known as vestibular disorders. “The most common vestibular disorder is BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). BPPV produces brief but intense bouts of whirling based on changes in head position. These episodes are often very scary for patients. Vestibular disorders can cause imbalance, nausea, intolerance to movement and reduced quality of life. We can tell if you have BPPV by observing eye movements when you change head positions,” says ACMC Rehabilitation Services Director Jim Pierce-Ruhland, PT. He is certified in diagnosing and treating vestibular disorders, as are ACMC Caregivers Andrew Carlin, DPT; Keenan Franley, DPT; and Jennifer Diehl, PT. Diagnosis and treatment To help diagnose BPPV and rule out other conditions, ACMC’s physical therapists use specialized infrared goggles with patients that display their eye movements on a computer. The combination of test results and eye movement observations directs treatment selection. The treatment is designed to clear positional vertigo and restore balance. Treatment is very effective for BPPV: 80 to 90 percent of patients achieve full resolution within a handful of visits. Some conditions require patients to perform exercises that gradually challenge the balance system. “Often patients come in having tried to avoid movements that trigger their symptoms,” Pierce-Ruhland says. “It is often the therapist’s job instead to teach the patient to progressively but safely challenge their symptoms in order to overcome them. Educating the patient and restoring their confidence in moving is critical for patients with vestibular conditions.” “It can be a huge relief for a patient who had resigned themselves to living with recurring dizziness,” Pierce-Ruhland says. “They often tell us that they got a good night’s sleep for the first time in months thanks to our treatments.” Physical therapy GET RELIEF For more information about vestibular disorders such as BPPV, contact ACMC Rehabilitation Services at 440-997-6680 . 14 ACMC Pulse  • acmchealth.org