Dizzy Again?

From the desk of Steph McDougal, DPT

Room-Spinning Dizziness? 

You dizzy today?

If you are suffering from room-spinning dizziness that seems to just all of the sudden appeared when, it might just be Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) or more commonly known as just vertigo.

Here are some common signs/symptoms of vertigo:

·      

         -  Brief episodes of mild to intense dizziness.

·       - A sense that you or your surrounding are spinning or moving.

·       - Dizziness that is triggered by position changes of your head. (tiping your head up or down, lying    

               down, rolling over, or sitting up in bed, etc. )

·       - Symptoms that seem to have started with any precipitating cause.

·       - Nausea  and/or vomiting

·      -  Balance disturbances or feeling of unsteadiness

 So what’s going on?

Vertigo is a disorder of the inner ear, it is idiopathic in nature, meaning there is no known cause for it. It generally affects people age 50 or older and is more common in women than men.  It happens when small crystals in your ear become dislodged from and fall into these three loop-shaped structures called your semicircular canals. Because that is not where they should be you get a false sense of movement which leads you to feel dizzy. 

Have No Fear!

Stephanie McDougal, DPT, at the PTW Montgomeryville is an expert in BPPV, Vertigo, and Concussions, Steph can do a series of tests and treatments to help get those crystals back to where they should be, getting you back to your levels of function and performance once again. 

Celebrate (and we love to celebrate!!!) good health!!

October is National Physical Therapy month, celebrating living healthy. 

Just this morning, we had the chance to spread the word on the North Penn's only radio station, WNPV 1440 am.  (http://tunein.com/radio/WNPV-1440-s21529/)

Here are some highlights of the talk....

Physical Therapist will help you get active, here are some facts...




1. Chronic pain doesn't have to be the boss of you.
Each year 116 million Americans experience chronic pain from arthritis or other conditions, costing billions of dollars in medical treatment, lost work time, and lost wages. Proper exercise, mobility, and pain management techniques can ease pain while moving and at rest, improving your overall quality of life.

2. You can get stronger when you're older.
Research shows that improvements in strength and physical function are possible in your 60s, 70s, and even 80s and older with an appropriate exercise program. Progressive resistance training, in which muscles are exercised against resistance that gets more difficult as strength improves, has been shown to prevent frailty.

3. You may not need surgery or drugs for low back pain. 
Low back pain is often over treated with surgery and drugs despite a wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that physical therapy can be an effective alternative—and with much less risk than surgery and long-term use of prescription medications.

4. You can lower your risk of diabetes with exercise.
One in four Americans over the age of 60 has diabetes.  Obesity and physical inactivity can put you at risk for this disease. But a regular, appropriate physical activity routine is one of the best ways to prevent—and manage—type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

5. Exercise can help you avoid falls—and keep your independence
About one in three U.S. adults age 65 or older will fall each year. More than half of adults over 65 report problems with movement, including walking 1/4 mile, stooping and standing. Exercise can improve movement and balance and reduce your risk of falls. It can also reduce your risk of hip fractures (95 percent of which are caused by falls).

6. Your bones want you to exercise.
Osteoporosis or weak bones affects more than half of Americans over the age of 54. Exercises that keep you on your feet, like walking, jogging, or dancing, and exercises using resistance, such as weightlifting, can improve bone strength or reduce bone loss.

7. Your heart wants you to exercise.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the US. One of the top ways of preventing it and other cardiovascular diseases? Exercise! Research shows that if you already have heart disease, appropriate exercise can improve your health.

8. Your brain wants you to exercise.
People who are physically active—even later in life—are less likely to develop memory problems or Alzheimer's disease, a condition which affects more than 40% of people over the age of 85.

Get on out to the Physical Therapy & Wellness Institute today to see how we can make a difference.

www.ptwinstitute.com