Neurological Rehabilitation

Vestibular Rehabilitation

Vestibular, balance, and visual disorders can result from head injuries, multiple sclerosis, stroke, viral infections, inner ear problems, high doses of certain antibiotics, and the deterioration of the visual and vestibular system due to aging. The multidisciplinary team in the Vestibular Rehabilitation Program at NewYork-Presbyterian carefully assesses you and puts together a personalized program of care. Our goal is to reduce your discomfort and return you to a maximum level of functioning in your home, at work, and in your community.

Who may benefit from vestibular therapy

You may benefit from vestibular rehabilitation if you:

• Feel dizzy when you change positions or move your head.
• Have nausea, persistent headache, double or blurry vision, ringing in your ears, or difficulty reading, concentrating, or driving.
• Have memory loss.
• Have a history of falls.
• Experienced a recent decrease in your activity level due to any of the above.

Experience & innovation

A physiatrist (rehabilitation medicine physician) evaluates you and coordinates your care, working with occupational and physical therapists who are certified in vestibular rehabilitation. They use state-of-the-art equipment, including the SMART Balance Master with EquiTest® and the Infrared Video Frenzel System, to assess your symptoms and customize a plan of care to help you feel better and move comfortably again. Our therapists may also work with you if you have a prescription from your ENT, neurologist, or primary care physician.

Bedside Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation therapy is important for all patients, but especially for those who are unable to leave their beds for extended periods of time. Even though they are healing, their muscles are losing strength and can begin to atrophy. And for patients who are sedated, the lack of consistent movement can cause the skin to break down and pressure ulcers to develop. Therapy is necessary to prevent deterioration and maintain muscle health.

Bedside therapists teach patients ways of moving that are less stressful for the body; for example, after a surgery, a new way of lifting the body may be necessary to avoid disturbing incisions, or if a patient is connected to a number of monitors or drips, different muscles may need to be utilized for movement than those that were used before hospitalization.

Bedside rehabilitation therapists also work to retrain the body to perform basic movements and tasks. Rehabilitative therapy is the re-education of the neuro-muscular system