Welcome to Southeastern Neuro Science Institute, P.A.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BALANCE THERAPY AND TESTING INFORMATION

FOR PATIENTS OF

 SOUTHEASTERN NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE, P.A.

 

You have been scheduled for testing in our balance disorder laboratory. 

 

Videonystagmography (VNG) is a non-invasive study that helps us to determine why you are dizzy and imbalanced and why you may be falling.  It will help us to know what the causes of your dizziness are and perhaps what to do about it. 

 

Human balance is very complicated in the way of the neurological circuits that help us maintain our balance in an erect posture without becoming dizzy. This takes a lot of neurologic integration.  The inner ears send messages to the brain stem (bottom of the brain).  These messages then go up to the top of brain (cortex)  where they are integrated.  The eye’s movements are guided, and subsequently, our eyes are directed to show us where we are and how we are moving in space. Many nerve messages then go down to the entire spinal cord, keeping some of our muscles taut and some others relaxed in order to keep us in a proper position.  Specialized postural tests on this circuitry are done with VNG testing.

 

This complex series of testing is done by well-trained, certified balance technologists.  By putting all of this test information together it lets us know whether your problem is in the inner ear, the peripheral vestibular circuits going into the brain stem, in the brain itself, or in some or all of the parts of the nervous system that should be working together. 

 

                               Our simple step-by-step procedure

 

Step 1

 

We begin your tests by you standing on the SportKat device, which has a perturbable (slightly movable) floor.

Step 2

 

Once we see what your standing balance capability is, we then have you sit in a chair and view targets moving left and right, etc., wearing special goggles that look at your eyes while you watch the target.

Step 3

 

We then have you look at a series of moving stripes.

Step 4

After that, we have you lie down on a comfortable table and have you turn your head slowly to the right and repeat again to the left, etc.  (See Step 4 above). You then will close your eyes with light shielding (making the goggles dark) and then a little light comes on inside the goggles for you to watch.

 

We will then direct a gentle air current against your eardrum to test the inner ear responses.

It is by putting all of this VNG and postural performance test information together that we can tell what is going on with all of your balance circuits. 

Prior to the test, you may be asked to stop by the lab the day before the test so that we may check your ears for the rare occurrence of hard wax buildup.  We want to make sure that the canals are clear of wax. Cerumenex, Debrox, or a product for earwax removal of the doctor's choice can be obtained at the local drug store to clear out your ear canal, if needed. 

These Secure Balance™    tests taken together will help your doctor’s get a very good concept of what is happening in your brain, brain stem and inner ear canals all together.  Depending on your results, we will then develop your individual therapy plan, whether we just reposition the little sand-like grains that everyone has in the inner ear fluid-containing canals by using head turning maneuvers.   If need be, we will do a more extensive treatment with balance and gait retraining.  Your individual treatment will be determined by these tests that are read by the trained doctor. We will talk with you at every step of the way and explain every bit of the process to you.  Have no fear!

Jacob Green M.D., PhD.

CEO