Acadian Hearing: Vertigo and Balance Specialists in Lake Charles

Over 90 million Americans experience vertigo, dizziness, and balance issues at some point during their lifetime. More than 9 million people seek help for these or related issues from an audiology and balance specialist on an annual basis.

Imbalance is not merely an inconvenience. It represents a significant risk to health, particularly in the elderly population. More than half of the accidental deaths among elderly individuals and over 300,000 hip fractures for those over the age of 65 each year result from balance-related falls.

It’s likely that you’ve found this page while seeking solutions to dizziness and balance problems. You’ve chosen the right place because Acadian Hearing Services has been the leading balance specialist in Lake Charles, Louisiana for over 30 years. Our expertise lies in treating vertigo, dizziness, and balance issues.

Through the use of our extensive knowledge and advanced technology, we conduct simple, non-invasive tests. Our audiologists are able to diagnose your condition and offer personalized solutions.

Female having balance assessment test at Acadian Hearing

Common Balance Disorder Symptoms

Symptoms of a balance disorder typically fall into two categories:

Motion Intolerance:

Dizziness and vertigo sometimes appear after rapid head movements or turning too quickly. These symptoms may be brief or last several hours.

Imbalance or Unsteadiness:

This category includes difficulty walking or imbalance associated with any form of upright movement.

Understanding Imbalance: How Are Your Ears Involved?

To maintain balance, your body relies on the coordination of three systems: your visual system, your vestibular system (orientation information), and your proprioceptive system (sensory input from muscles and joints).

A balance disorder or imbalance occurs due to disturbances or malfunctions in any of these systems.

Your ears play a crucial role in balance because the vestibular system is situated in the inner ear. This system detects movement and changes in the positioning of your head. Your inner ear consists of three semicircular canals filled with fluid, which detect upward, downward, and side-to-side movements.

As the fluid moves, it interacts with hair-like cells that send signals to the brain about the body’s positioning or orientation. When the vestibular system becomes damaged, dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and imbalance can cause numerous serious problems.

Vestibular system damage can affect people of any age, resulting from disease, syndromes, toxins, or trauma.

Dizziness and Balance Experts in Lake Charles

Three Common Balance Disorder Causes and Treatments

Balance disorders can result from a variety of causes, including damage to the vestibular system. However, three causes are most common:

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

BPPV happens when calcium carbonate, or otoconia, breaks off and migrates into one of the semicircular canals. The displaced otoconia send false signals to the brain, disrupting the normal movement of fluid and causing vertigo.

Motion Sickness or Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS)

MdDS or oversensitivity to motion is a neurological disorder related to your vestibular system. It leaves you feeling as if you’re rocking or swaying after riding in a vehicle or exercising. The brain overreacts to this sensation of motion, leading to dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance.

Vestibular Migraines

Migraines, often associated with an intense headache, are a hereditary neurological disorder. They affect 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men, according to the American Academy of Neurology. Not all migraines cause a headache, but about 66% of people with a history of migraines are also prone to dizziness, vertigo, nausea, eye pain, changes to vision, and balance disorders.

What to Expect during Your Balance Assessment

Many patients, who might benefit from an audiology balance test, hesitate because they don’t know what to expect during a balance assessment. To help put your mind at ease, here is what you can expect during your balance assessment.

Preparing For Your Assessment

To get the most accurate results, we ask patients to adhere to a few guidelines before their balance assessment:

● Refrain from drinking alcohol 24 hours before your balance assessment.
● Avoid wearing mascara, eyeliner, or facial lotion when you come to the clinic.
● Arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time so you can settle in and be at ease before testing begins.

Balance And Vestibular Tests

There are several advanced technology tests used during a balance and vertigo assessment. Though your audiologist might not use all of them, here is a brief description of each one and what they are designed to measure.

ENG and VNG Tests

Electronystagmography (ENG) and videonystagmography (VNG) tests record your eye movements, which play a critical role in vestibular function and balance. ENG uses electrodes to record eye movements, while VNG uses small cameras to record eye movements.

Rotary Chair Test

During this test, you’ll be seated in a motorized chair that swivels from side to side and rotates at a controlled rate. The rotating chair test measures the severity of your dizziness and the amount of dizziness caused by the viewing of moving stripes, as well as nystagmus (involuntary eye movement) during rotation.

Computerized Dynamic Posturography

We use computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) testing to assess how well your inner ears, eyes, and the body’s muscles and joints coordinate to help maintain your balance. Standing on a force-sensing surface with the support of a harness, CDP tests which parts of your body’s balance system you rely on most while being subjected to a movable visual surround.

VEMP Test

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) tests involve attaching sensor pads to your neck, forehead, and under your eyes in order to measure each minute muscle contraction as you react to sounds. VEMP testing is used to identify vestibular lesions, which might contribute to balance issues.

Video Head Impulse Test (vHIT)

Your audiologist might use vHIT to measure your vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), which is what helps maintain the focus of your visual field during head rotations. When your VOR is working correctly, head movements are accompanied by equal and opposite eye movements. The absence of these movements or limited reactions help us pinpoint the cause of your imbalance.

Schedule a Balance Assessment

Don’t allow dizziness, vertigo, and imbalance to severely affect your quality of life or that of a loved one. These issues can lead to a range of critical injuries if left untreated. Getting help before the problem worsens is crucial for your overall health and well-being.

Acadian Hearing’s expert assistance is readily available. Fill out and submit the adjacent form to alert one of our specialists. They will call you back and help you schedule a balance assessment. Remember, there’s no such thing as a silly question!

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Acadian Hearing: Vertigo and Balance Specialists in Lake Charles