The sensation of normal balance is provided by the complex interaction between inputs from our eyes, inner ears and joints. The sensation of dizziness can arise when there is a mismatch between the various inputs.
Often regarded as the Cinderella sense, balance is anything but. Vertigo or dizziness can impact significantly on quality of life, ability to work and mental health.
The balance system is highly complex, integrating inputs from the eyes, inner ears and joints to provide a sense of balance, orientation and spatial awareness.
If something goes wrong with one element of this system, neural plasticity normally allows for compensation and full recovery. In certain groups however, such compensation either is inadequate or does not occur.
Balance is often regarded as the Cinderella sense because one is unaware of its importance until there is a problem. Vertigo or dizziness can impact significantly on quality of life, ability to work and mental health.
At Cambridge Hearing & Balance, we have extensive experience in diagnosing, investigating and treating a wide range of balance disorders including:
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
- Meniere's Disease
- Vestibular Neuronitis (labyrinthitis)
- Migrainous Vertigo
- Benign Paroxysmal Vertigo of Childhood
- Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence
- Motion Provoked Vertigo
- Visually Evoked Vertigo
- Benign Intracranial Hypertension
Access to comprehensive vestibular assessment aids us in establishing the components of the balance system not functioning optimally and allows a tailored treatment plan to be designed. In addition to standard vestibular assessment, we offer more specialist tests including Electrocochleography (ECOG), head impulse testing (HIT) and vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing
With the correct diagnosis we are able to resolve a vast majority of balance disorders with positioning maneuvers (Epley), pertinent medications or vestibular rehabilitation under the guidance of expert physiotherapists.
Balance disorders rarely require surgical intervention, however, when this is indicated we offer a comprehensive range of interventions. These include intratympanic steroid or gentamicin injections, endolymphatic sac decompression with shunt, total osseous labyrinthectomy and vestibular nerve section for uncontrolled Meniere’s disease. Posterior semicircular canal obliteration for intractable BPPV and superior semicircular canal obliteration / resurfacing for the management of superior canal dehiscence.