Vestibular and Balance Rehabilitation in Eugene, OR

Vestibular Disorder

The vestibular system, beginning in the inner ear and connecting specialized centers in the brain, is responsible for maintaining balance and coordination of the body. If any problem occurs to the system, symptoms such as imbalance, nausea, dizziness and vertigo can arise, limiting many aspects of everyday life.

Vestibular disorders can be caused or aggravated by a variety of injuries, illnesses and conditions, including viral or bacterial infections, atmospheric pressure changes such as during air travel or other elevation changes, head trauma, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Vestibular disorders can also occur for unknown reasons.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based program designed to help patients control dizziness, vertigo and imbalance by retraining the brain to accurately perceive spatial orientation.

Did you know?

- 35% of adults aged 40 or older - approximately 69 million Americans – have experienced a vestibular problem.

- At least half of the population in the United States is affected by imbalance or vestibular disorder at some point in their lives.

Our Approach

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is one of our specialties at Cooperative Performance & Rehabilitation. Our team of expert physical therapists use their advanced training and key technologies housed in our purpose-built vestibular lab to identify your specific problems.

One-on-One Sessions

Our VRT program offers balance evaluation and training designed for individuals with equilibrium problems. After a thorough evaluation, our skilled physical therapists design a treatment and training plan customized to meet each patient’s individual needs. Our unique team approach and personalized one-on-one sessions help patients recover at the comfort of their own pace.

Patient Education

At CPR, we believe optimal recovery isn’t achieved with solely in-office treatment. That’s why our treatment plans include a variety of exercises to be performed both in the therapy setting and at home. We make it a priority to educate patients about their condition and how to self-manage symptoms.

Treatment & Technology

As a leader in vestibular and balance rehabilitation, Cooperative Performance & Rehabilitation integrates exercise-based treatment, leading-edge technologies and adaptive techniques to support individual recovery.

We often begin VRT by focusing on the senses that are not affected. For example, many patients with vestibular damage have great initial success using visual and somatosensory-based substitution skills to control their vertigo and imbalance. As patients progress, we teach them to desensitize their nervous system to provoking factors so they no longer get the symptomatic response. For cases of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV, we apply a variety of repositioning maneuvers to move crystals loose within the canals of the inner ear out of the problem area.

At Cooperative Performance & Rehabilitation, we use videonystagmography, or VNG, to look for abnormal eye movements. This helps determine which part of the vestibular system is affected. Our Micromedical Real Eyes xDVR system provides binocular, high-speed, high-definition infrared video analysis of eye movements not observable without this type of instrumentation.

Computerized balanced testing conducted with the NeuroCom Balance Master® allows for precise measurement of balance under different sensory conditions and graphic comparison of patient results to age and height norms. We also use a growing number of technologies such as the WiiFit video game system, video optical illusions projected on large video flat screens, and iPad applications to provide Virtual Reality-based training environments similar to those at major research institutes and in military aviation training.

For further information, visit the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA), and the APTA Vestibular Rehabilitation Special Interest Group (VR SIG).