Let Peak Performance Physical Therapy Help!
There are many reasons why balance and gait disorders may occur, including underlying neurological or musculoskeletal disorders.
Do you ever feel unsteady, as if you may fall over without warning? Does the pain in your joints make it difficult for you to move around? Do you experience spinning sensations, even when you are sitting or standing still? If so, you may have a balance or gait disorder. These disorders can affect both your physical and mental wellbeing, and they can be quite debilitating.
Fortunately, Peak Performance Physical Therapy can relieve these disorders so you can get back to living your life on your own terms! To learn more about treating your balance and gait disorders with physical therapy, schedule your consultation today!
How our balance and gait programs can help you
When you arrive at our Lansing, Okemos & Dewitt, MI physical therapy office, you will undergo an initial evaluation to examine your balance, gait, stance, symptoms, and medical history. Once this is complete, one of our dedicated physical therapists will design an individualized treatment plan based on your specific needs, in order to treat your balance or gait disorder. This may include:
Gait retraining exercises:
In a study cited by the Arthritis Foundation, patients suffering from osteoarthritis-related gait disorders were able to successfully alter their gait through treadmill exercises. Sometimes, abnormalities in gait can be effectively corrected simply through “retraining.” If this is the case, our physical therapist will walk you through proper posture, stance, and walking techniques.
Vestibular rehabilitation:
If you are suffering from BPPV, our physical therapist will provide you with specific exercises that will return the calcium debris to the correct parts of your ear. Vestibular rehabilitation is a balance-and-gait-specific type of rehab that works to improve your nerves, muscles, vision, and the vestibular system as a whole, in order to maintain a steady balance.
Strengthening exercises:
Your evaluation will help determine any problem areas in your body that may need strengthening. Our physical therapist will provide you with exercises that will build up your muscles, thus making it much easier for you to move around and reduce your risk of injury.
Stretches:
Targeted stretches will give you more control and quicker reactions with your movements, in addition to reducing your risk of injury. They are an important part of a treatment plan that will help improve your flexibility and your range of motion. They will also help in keeping your muscles from becoming too tight and stiff.
What’s causing my balance or gait disorder?
There are several reasons why you may develop a balance or gait disorder. It is common for balance disorders to develop from an issue with the vestibular system, which is a delicate collection of fluid-filled chambers and sensory nerves located in the inner ear.
Your vestibular system helps manage your “proprioception,” or sense of position, and when this is altered, it can be difficult to keep yourself steady. Some common vestibular conditions that can lead to balance disorders include:
Injury or ailment
Even if your brain and nervous system are working in harmony with one another, a sudden injury, disease, or other ailments resulting in muscle weakness can interfere with your balance and make it difficult to keep yourself upright.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
BPPV develops when calcium debris breaks off in the inner ear, resulting in issues with your balance.
Neurological issues
Neurological issues can throw you off balance. Some common conditions include brain injuries, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease, to name a few. Essentially, anything that impacts your neurological system can impact your ability to balance yourself.
The origin of a gait disorder may not be as simple to diagnose, as there are even more conditions that can result in a gait disorder. Any condition that impairs your muscle or nerve functions can cause you to walk in an abnormal manner. Because of this, gait disorders can also develop from the symptoms of neurological or neuromuscular issues, much like balance disorders.
However, it is also common for gait disorders to develop from underlying musculoskeletal disorders. Just a few of the many conditions that may lead to a gait disorder include overuse injuries, abnormal foot arches, plantar fasciitis, a previous lower extremity injury that healed improperly, or uneven muscle support that causes you to favor one side of your body more than the other.
So, what exactly are balance and gait disorders?
Balance and gait disorders both fall under the category of functional disorders since they can interfere with your positional awareness, your ability to keep yourself upright, and your overall normal movement functions.
Balance and gait disorders, while similar, have some specific differences. Anything that causes you to feel unsteady or like you’re “spinning” can be defined as a balance disorder. This can increase your risk of falling because you may feel as if you may fall at any given moment. A balance disorder impacts both your physical and mental functionality, because your brain may believe you are moving even when you are not.
Gait disorders are a bit different from balance disorders. While they can still affect your balance, it has less to do with your mental functionality and everything to do with your physical functionality. Gait disorders are caused by abnormal movements with the ways in which you walk, which may become gradually more exaggerated as you get older. According to Move Forward Physical Therapy, gait disorders account for 17 percent of senior falls, as symptoms of a gait disorder seem to worsen with age.
Reclaim your life today
If you have been living with a balance or gait disorder, contact us today at Lansing, Okemos, Dewitt, & Mason, MI Centers! Don’t let the spins knock you down – get back on your feet with Peak Performance Physical Therapy!
Sheeba Joseph, MD, MS, FAAOS
MSU Health Care Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center
Sheeba Joseph, MD, MS, FAAOS is a board-certified, fellowship trained
orthopedic surgeon who’s been providing care at MSU Health Care Sports
Medicine & Orthopedic Center since 2018. A Michigan native, Dr. Joseph
graduated from the Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center
through Pennfield High School.
As an undergraduate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland,
Ohio, she graduated summa cum laude. She remained at Case to earn
her Master of Science in Applied Anatomy, Doctorate in Medicine and
Orthopedic Surgical residency training. From there, Dr. Joseph completed
an Orthopedic Sports Medicine Surgery Fellowship at the University
of Connecticut, training with many of the leading innovators in ACL
reconstruction, AC joint reconstruction, shoulder and patellofemoral
instability, hip impingement/arthroscopy and fracture care. Dr. Joseph
has published research and book chapters and given talks on hip sporting
injuries and treatments, ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation, shoulder
biomechanics and treatments, and novel techniques for understanding
and performing patellar stabilization.
Throughout her training, Dr. Joseph has cared for athletes at sporting
activities from high school football to Division I and Division III collegiate
football, field hockey, and men and women’s soccer, ice hockey, and
basketball. She also provided medical coverage at the Cleveland
Marathon and the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. In Lansing,
she has cared for MSU athletes, Holt High School student athletes, and
the Lansing Lugnuts baseball team
To learn more about Dr. Joseph and MSU Health Care Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center click the link below.
Erin Anderson
Physical Therapist
Okemos Clinic
I am a recent graduate from Central Michigan University (fire up!) and grew up locally, in DeWitt, MI. I currently live in St. Johns with my husband, 1 year old son (Aiden) and dog (Dash).
Prior to becoming a physical therapist I worked in a hospital setting for 5 years as a respiratory therapist.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading and being outdoors.
Waleed El-Chaer
Physical Therapy Technician
Okemos Clinic
Hi! My name is Waleed El-Chaer. I am a physical therapy technician and personal trainer at Peak Performance Physical Therapy. I was born and raised in Ortonville, MI, where i went to Brandon High School. I recently graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and I am currently applying for physical therapy programs for next fall. When I’m not at work, I like to spend my time playing basketball and working on music production. I’ve produced and collaborated on many different music projects, including an album of my own work. I have a passion for educating others, especially when it comes to music and the human body, which is why I love what I do!
Alongside the task of becoming more mentally balanced with the things you spend time with in your life is the challenge of becoming more physically balanced. Specific markers typically indicate trouble maintaining balance, such as frequently tripping and falling or feeling dizzy when standing too long. But even if you are not having fundamental issues with your ability to stay balanced this way, you may still have difficulty with whole-body balance. Physical therapy is an excellent way to improve your ability to balance, as physical therapy helps strengthen core muscles and improve coordination. Here at Peak Performance Physical Therapy, we aim to help you find your balance in life. Here at Peak Performance Physical Therapy, we aim to help you find your balance in life.
We look forward to helping you Reach Your Peak!
The F45 Athletics Department is comprised of leading training professionals, athletes and exercise scientists from around the world, all dedicated to the research, development and implementation of F45 Training workouts. Our Athletics Department provides fresh programming daily for our studios, ensuring our members are constantly engaged, enjoying their workouts and getting results.
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