balance Archives - Page 3 of 10

Balance Awareness Week – BlazePods

September 20, 2023 By Gregory Synnestvedt PT, DPT Leave a Comment

The BlazePods are seven palm-sized pods that can light up different colors and be turned off with a tap on the pod. Also referred to affectionately as “the lights” by some of our therapists and patients, these little pods can be programmed to light up in different ways to create several fun and unique balance games working on reaction time, decision-making, and introducing a cognitive task to a balanced workout.

We like to put the pods in a semicircle for the most basic setup. The pods light up randomly, and the person has to tap their foot on the pod to turn it off while trying to turn off as many pods as possible in 30 seconds or 1 minute. It’s like whack-a-mole with your feet! We will move some pods onto higher surfaces for increased challenge, even putting some pods on the wall you must hit with your hand.

For patients working on dizziness and certain vestibular issues, we like to put pods up high, down low, and even on surfaces behind them, making them hit the pods with their hands. This is a good way to work on rapid turning and bending motions to reduce dizziness and improve balance with these motions.

We sometimes spread the pods across the gym floor for athletes and more active participants, simulating quick reactions and sudden decision-making in sports.

If you’re looking for a fun way to work on your balance and reaction time, we recommend you try the BlazePod, “The Lights,” at WWSPT!

Dr. Gregory Synnestvedt PT, DPT,
WWS Physical Therapy and Vestibular Rehabilitation
Doylestown, PA.

(215) 489-3234

Balance Awareness Week – Infrared Goggles

September 19, 2023 By Amanda Nguyen PT, DPT Leave a Comment

A problem with the vestibular system or your inner ear system is a possible source of balance issues. This system tells your head how you are oriented in space and sends signals to your brain about how your head moves. To assess this very tiny system, we use infrared goggles.

We use Infrared Goggles when evaluating each person with dizziness or unexplained imbalance. The goggles are an essential tool we use to specifically diagnose any vestibular deficits by helping us observe and record your eye movements. Your eyes are a key factor in determining the cause of your balance issue. Sometimes, when you are dizzy or feeling unsteady, your eyes will move in a pattern pointing to a particular inner ear issue, such as decreased vestibular function on one side, or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Testing with the goggles is relatively simple. We will place the goggles over your eyes, and while it may feel like you are about to enter a virtual reality world, you will be in the dark. Cameras in the goggles send video feedback to our computers, and we can watch your eyes move. From here, we will do different tests and put you in different positions to see how your eyes move and if it provokes any dizziness.

These goggles give us the most accurate information so we can treat the exact issue you are dealing with. While some balance and vestibular issues can be assessed without infrared goggles, the most thorough assessment includes testing with the goggles.

Dr. Amanda Nguyen, PT, DPT,
WWS Physical Therapy and Vestibular Rehabilitation
Doylestown, PA.
215 -489-3234

Good Balance and Good Health Go Together

September 18, 2023 By Wendy Webb Schoenewald, PT, OCS Leave a Comment

As a Vestibular specialist, many patients ask me how to prevent another vestibular event or a fall. Good balance comes from a healthy vestibular system, visual system, and proper input from sensory nerves and muscles. These systems work together to help us move and react, maintaining good balance.

As we age, the vestibular system changes. The hair cell neurons of the inner ear reduce in number, and the postural organs of the ear, the utricle and saccule, also decline in function. This can affect postural reactions and coordination involved in maintaining balance. Otoconia from the utricle and saccule also become more likely to break loose from these organs, causing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a condition that we frequently treat in vestibular therapy.

How can we slow down the aging process to help our balance?

Exercise that includes changing surfaces to challenge your muscles and postural reactions and head movement added to exercise to make your vestibular system work harder can all improve your balance. Your vestibular therapist can teach you How to incorporate these into your regular workout.

Maintaining good health is important in aging well. Some health issues affect the vestibular system more directly than others. Hypertension affects the inner ear since the ear is susceptible to changes in blood flow. The vestibular system’s microcirculation is reduced by hypertension, which can lead to loss of function in the vestibular system. We tend to focus on the circulation to our heart and brain, but issues from reduced blood flow can also occur in the inner ear organ.

Diabetes Mellitus also affects the microcirculation of the inner ear and the peripheral nerves, sometimes causing peripheral neuropathy. Patients with diabetes are 70% more likely to have vestibular and balance deficits, so properly managing your diabetes with exercise and medication is important for good balance.

Exercise has positively affected hypertension, diabetes, circulation, sleep, and many other health factors that impact balance. A physical therapist trained in vestibular rehabilitation can examine how your balance systems are working and help you figure out how to exercise and work on your balance safely.

Wendy Webb Schoenewald, PT, OCS
WWS Physical Therapy and Vestibular Rehabilitation
Doylestown, PA.
(215) 489-3234

Every Day is Leg Day

May 16, 2023 By Cassie Zanolini, PT, DPT Leave a Comment

Strength in our legs is vital for performing many activities in our daily life, allowing us to be independent. Our legs are working all day long. We walk up and down stairs, squat, and lift using our legs throughout our day. Your legs, especially your knee joints, also need an adequate range of motion to perform these activities well.

Knee pain, stiffness, and weakness are common issues treated by a physical therapist. Physical therapy can help you maintain your lower extremity strength and range of motion to prevent knee pain or injury. These exercises can be performed with free weights, machines, resistance bands, or body weight. If you are limited with your equipment at home, here are three effective body weight resistive exercises to help prevent knee pain.

I. Squat

Stand with feet approximately shoulder-width apart
Lower your body by sticking your butt out as if you are going to sit back in a chair
You should feel the weight through your heels
Feet should stay flat on the floor
Maintain abdominal contraction throughout the motion
Think about sucking your belly muscles in, pulling your belly button to your spine
But don’t hold your breath!
A deeper squat is more challenging, so only descend to where you feel comfortable

II. Lunge

Stagger your stance so that one foot is in front of the other
Slowly lower yourself downward
Keep the shin of your front foot vertical/perpendicular to the floor
Avoid letting the knee of the front foot move past your toes
Keep your trunk up, avoiding forward lean
Return to the starting position
Repeat the exercise, either alternating sides or completing all on one side consecutively.

III. Step up

Stand facing the bottom step
Place your right foot onto the step and drive yourself up
As you ascend the step, bring your left leg up onto the step as well
Step backward down the step with your right foot
Try to move slowly and control while descending
Bring your left foot down to meet your right
Repeat with the opposite foot

These three exercises target the lower extremity’s primary muscle groups and can help prevent knee pain or injury. This will also help promote and maintain healthy motion in your knees. If these exercises are inappropriate for you or result in increased pain, make an appointment at our WWS Physical Therapy and Vestibular Rehabilitation office for one of our therapists to evaluate you and provide you with a more customized treatment program.

Dr. Cassie Newman, PT, DPT

Do Physical Ailments Limit You From the Hunt?

December 9, 2022 By Cassie Zanolini, PT, DPT Leave a Comment

Does spending hours in the car drive to get to your hunting camp cause your stiffness? Do your knees start to bother you as you trudge through the varied terrain in the woods? Is your shoulder strong enough to draw back your compound bow? When you bag that trophy buck, how will your body hold up as you drag it out, or will you strain your back?

Rifle season is upon us, so hunters are prepared with their gear, clothing, and other necessities. They do a great job of ensuring that all of their equipment is in good working order. They spend all that time ensuring their equipment is functioning correctly, but often they fail to put the same amount of effort into their body’s function activity level.

Heart and Lung issues

Walking through the woods is taxing, not to mention if you have to drag out a deer while you do it. This activity level can raise your heart rate and blood pressure and cause shortness of breath. Getting in shape ahead of the season can help. It is recommended that healthy adults perform 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 5x/week. This activity can include walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling. Regular exercise can help improve the strength and endurance required for a long hunt.

Muscles and Joints

Limitations in muscle flexibility can contribute to difficulty when hunting. Drawing a bow requires spinal and shoulder mobility, as well as strength. Dragging a deer requires both upper and lower body strength. Maneuvering over or through obstacles in the woods needs a certain degree of flexibility. General mobility and strength exercises can be beneficial in targeting these deficits. Hunters are generally tight in their upper back, pecs, and shoulders. These are usually good places to start, but not every stretch is good for everyone. So it’s good to see a physical therapist for more specific recommendations and guidance.

Balance

Stepping over fallen trees, crossing logs, and negotiating through rocks can be tricky. Then add rain or snow into the mix, making things even more difficult. Balance is a function of our inner ear, vision, sensation in our feet, and joint position. If these systems are impaired, that further increases the risk of falling. Walking into and out of the stand in the dark compromises your visual system to some extent, which puts hunters at a greater risk of falling. This is where physical therapists can come in to help get all of your balance systems in working order.

If you are having trouble in any of these areas, or if you’ve noticed other problems that impact your hunt, then make an appointment at WWS Physical Therapy and Vestibular Rehabilitation for evaluation by one our expert therapists.

Note ***

In Pennsylvania, the Deer problems are not defined by the number of deer. They are determined by the impact of those deer and the values of the residents they affect. Communities do not manage deer because there are several deer per square mile. They work deer (Caul the herd) because residents agree that the number of deer-vehicle collisions, the damage to gardens, parks, and landscaping, or backyards that look like barnyards are unacceptable.

Balance Awareness Week – BlazePods

Balance Awareness Week – Infrared Goggles

Good Balance and Good Health Go Together

Every Day is Leg Day

Our Mission at WWSPT

WWSPT Mission 2.0

Contact WWS Physical Therapy

Ask About WWSPT Professional Associations

Our Mission at WWSPT

WWSPT Mission 2.0

Connect With WWSPT:

Contact WWS Physical Therapy

Ask About WWSPT Professional Associations