In other exercises, therapists make the nervous system work harder to heal itself by taking away prompts from other parts of the balance system. Patients sometimes walk across a room with their eyes closed or stand on a foam pad. Balance disorders aren't uncommon. According to studies done by the National Institutes of Health, dizziness is second to low back pain as the reason people see a doctor. An estimated 75 million Americans suffer from inner ear disorders sometime in their lifetime, and 500,000 people a year suffer from severe vertigo.
Falls land many people in the hospital with broken bones.
Lockett, a Hampton resident, has suffered from balance problems off and on for 15 years. You have to adjust your life to it. Most patients need about six visits with a therapist, which are covered by insurance. Patients then do exercises at home, some for the rest of their lives. Robeson found out the hard way that avoiding those exercises is a bad idea.