IMAGINE LIVING LIFE WITHOUT BALANCE.

No really. Close your eyes and stand on one foot. It’s hard, right? Now imagine having that same disorienting feeling on two feet, and with your eyes open. Balance is something most of us take for granted. It’s automatically hardwired into our bodies at birth, evolving and adapting as we grow and age.

What is Vestibular Therapy?

While basic balance is innate, some are able to perfect or even master balance through exercise and practice. But we don’t often think about our balance— until of course, we lose it. While most people may not be familiar with the word “vestibular”—relating to your inner ear, brain, and sense of balance—many have likely experienced the awkward, sometimes even scary feeling, when we momentarily lose our balance. Maybe it’s taking a wrong step or getting motion sickness aboard a jostling boat or that nauseating, head-spinning sensation after one too many alcoholic beverages. Eventually, our balance comes back and life moves on.



Amanda McCallum, PT is one of the few Vestibular Physical Therapists in our area. She practices in our Covington clinic.

This is not the case for the over 69 million Americans who suffer from the mostly invisible and frequently debilitating symptoms of chronic imbalance associated with a vestibular disorder. Whether it comes on gradually over time or all of a sudden, bouts of dizziness, vertigo, and nausea can make many of life’s more routine tasks virtually intolerable.

That’s why VeDA pioneered Balance Awareness Week way back in 1997; to come together each year and shine a light on these otherwise invisible balance disorders. If we’re all more aware, then we can better understand and be empathetic to those who need our support the most—our patients, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. While many of these balance disorders are incurable, faster and more accurate diagnosis, along with effective coping strategies, can greatly improve quality of life. Join us this September for Balance Awareness Week, September 16-22, 2018 and together we can pave the way toward restoring a life rebalanced.