Balance Center
HOME / How we can help / Balance Center
East Tennessee’s Dizziness, Vertigo and Balance Experts
Dizziness, vertigo and balance issues reduce your confidence to get up from your bed or chair, and can make it nearly impossible to go about your daily routine. The National Institute of Health (NIH) estimates that 90 million Americans are effected by this disruption to their vestibular system, which requires proper attention.
Many people are surprised to learn that your ears are a critical element in helping you maintain your balance, which is why addressing these issues is an area of concern for our ENT specialists and audiologists. Our team of experts are balance-care leaders with vast experience in all balance-related challenges using a combination of testing and treatment plans that help you regain control of your balance and your active, independent lifestyle.
Your Inner Ears Are the Key to Maintaining Your Balance
The complex labyrinth located in your inner ear that plays an essential role in processing sound for your brain also helps your body to remain upright. The cochlea, the otolithic organs and the semicircular canals are three components of the inner ear; the latter being the one that aids in controlling balance.
The semicircular canals are characterized by three circular loops. Each loop senses movement in a different direction as the fluid within these loops moves and interacts with the hair cells of the inner ear, similar to the bubble used in a carpenter’s level or plumb.
When your brain receives the signals from these inner-ear hair cells, it signals your body to make the necessary adjustments to keep you upright.
Symptoms and Causes of Common Balance Challenges
Sensations of dizziness, vertigo, nausea and/or a loss of balance are often related to damage or deterioration of the structures in the inner ear. This damage can lead to a form of motion sickness that makes sitting or standing complicated as well as produce symptoms of severe vertigo even when you are lying down
A range of health conditions contribute to these symptoms, such as:
PHC’s Treatment for Balance-Related Disorders
Treatment for balance-related disorders is determined by the cause and severity of each condition, which can include correction, rehabilitation or symptom management.
Pharmaceutical Solutions
Treating inflammation causing infections like labyrinthitis and vestibular neuronitis are among the pharmaceutical solutions used to treat balance-related disorders. Other medications designed to reduce pressure are used to help manage Meniere’s disease.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)
Among our primary treatment options for dizziness, vertigo and balance disorders is vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT). The primary application of VRT involves treatment for BPPV and MdDS, but it is also used to improve and maintain their balance while they undergo other forms of treatment for various balance-related disorders.
VRT includes a series of exercises that help desensitize your balance system, especially as it makes adjustments during certain movements. Through VRT patients learn how to move around without triggering dizziness or vertigo, which protects them from feeling out of balance and prevents falls.
Contact Us If You’re Experiencing Dizziness, Vertigo or Balance Challenges
Keeping your feet becomes a significant challenge whenever dizziness, vertigo and nausea interrupt your ability to get out of bed, move about your home or leave the house to go about your daily routine. Because these symptoms relate to problems within the inner ear, seeking the help of an ENT specialist or audiologist is the best way to reduce your risk of severe injury from a fall.
Our ENT Consultants of East TN doctors are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of balance-related disorders. Submit the form below in order to take advantage of our expertise before dizziness, vertigo or balance challenges further limit your independent lifestyle.
Patient Resources
Successful Treatment of Rhinosinusitis
We’ve all experienced the headaches, stuffiness, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, and constant drainage of a sinus infection. What most people call the common cold, but doctors call rhinosinusitis, usually goes away within a week to 10 days and you’re back to normal....
Chronic Sinus Infection: A Modern Surgical Technique that Provides You With a Permanent Solution
Do you awaken every morning coughing, have to blow your nose throughout the day, and feel like you’re stuffed up with a cold, but you don’t have a cold? You could be struggling with a chronic sinus infection, a very common health issue that afflicts 31 million people...
Explaining Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Comprehensive Guide
Sinusitis is a common medical issue that affects millions of people worldwide. When medication and lifestyle modifications fail to alleviate symptoms, a procedure called endoscopic sinus surgery may be the recommended treatment. Here, I explain what endoscopic sinus...