Center for Balance and Gait

    M & M Physical Therapy, LLC is proud to announce the opening of the M & M Physical Therapy Center for Balance and Gait. The Center for Balance and Gait is located in our Columbus, NJ office, however, patients with balance, vestibular and gait deficits can be seen for evaluation and treatment in all three of our offices.

    Dizziness or loss of balance is the third most common symptom reported during primary care visits, behind pain and fatigue. Approximately 30 to 40% of adults over the age of 65 years will experience a fall, and 12% will have a serious injury. Many conditions can lead to symptoms of dizziness and most individuals require 3 to 5 physician visits before being accurately diagnosed.  

    Three systems work together with the central nervous system (CNS) to maintain our balance: the Vestibular System (inner ear); the Ocular System (vision); and the Somatosensory System (pressure sensors in muscles, tendons, and joints that sense gravity and joint position). Damage, disease or injury to any one of these systems can lead to dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, and falling.

    At the M & M Physical Therapy Center for Balance and Gait, we offer the following services:

• Balance Rehabilitation: Balance disorders affect most activities of daily living and often lead to falling and injury. Balance testing and training focuses on maintenance of static balance, balance during weight shifting (dynamic balance), balance response to perturbations, and functional mobility.  
• Vestibular Rehabilitation:When the Vestibular System is impaired, the brain can no longer rely on it for accurate information about motion or equilibrium. This leads to dizziness and vertigo. Medical or surgical intervention is not indicated or helpful in many of these cases, however, most individuals will benefit from vestibular rehabilitation. Additionally, 50% of people over the age of 65 who develop dizziness will develop a particular form of vertigo that can often be alleviated with only one or two Physical Therapy visits.
• Fall Prevention: M & M Physical Therapy holds several talks and events on fall prevention throughout the year for a number of different communities and organizations. Falling is a major public health issue for people over the age of 65, and M & M Physical Therapy is dedicated to preventing falls among seniors. M & M Physical Therapy recently held a Fall Prevention Awareness Day in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. If your are interested on having a Fall Prevention talk for a group, free of charge, please contact Steven J. Platt PT, ATC at 609-324-1200.
• Gait training:Gait analysis and training are very important parts of treating patients with balance deficits and/ or neurological disorders. Our Physical Therapist observes and studies body movements, body mechanics, and activity of the muscles during gait. This information is then used to assess, plan and treat patients.
• Physical Therapy for Individuals with MS: Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the CNS in which immune cells attack the myelin sheath covering the nerve. Most common symptoms include: fatigue, gait dysfunction and pain. Physical Therapy management for MS focuses on function and prevention. Balance and gait training, as well as overall fitness training are hallmarks of treatment.

    Common diagnoses seen at the Center for Balance and Gait include, but are not limited to: dizziness, gait/walking abnormality, vertigo, BPPV, CVA/ stroke, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson 's disease, CIDP, and neuropathy. Dizziness and poor balance affects millions of people. Dizziness can be treated and relieved; balance is a skill which can be improved with correct training. Falling can be prevented.

    For an evaluation at the M & M Physical Therapy Center for Balance and Gait, please contact us at any of our three locations to schedule an appointment.

References:

                www.vestibular.org

                www.cdc.org         

ATTENTION PATIENTS: If any of our patients have a testimonial that they would like to have posted on our website, please send it to susan@mmptnj.com. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks!