Center for Balance

Most people who have a balance problem are completely unaware of it.

The Center for Balance at Raritan Bay Medical Center is part of our Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department. The Center for Balance is designed specifically for anyone with dizziness, vertigo, difficulty judging distance, people with an increased risk of falling and anyone who has fallen once in the past year. The Center for Balance uses the most advanced tests to diagnose for balance or dizziness disorders.

Why Do Testing?

The Center for Balance may be able to help you if you have experienced any of the following balance disorder symptoms:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Difficulty getting up from a chair or out

Some of the balance tests offered include:

• Nystagmography is a series of tests that determine a person’s ability to follow visual objects with their eyes.
• Ocular Motility requires the patient to follow with their eyes objects that jump from place to place or move smoothly.
• Optokinetic Nystagmus requires a patient to view a large, continuously moving visual image to see if their eyes can appropriately track these movements.
• Positional Nystagmus the patient’s head and body will be moved into various positions to ensure that there are no inappropriate movements of their eyes when their head is in different positions.
• Caloric Test involves stimulating both of the patient’s inner ears (usually one at a time) with warm and then cold air. The movements of the patient’s eyes will be monitored to ensure that both of their ears can sense this stimulation.

What is Vestibular Therapy?

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based program designed to promote central nervous system compensation for inner ear deficits. VRT can help with a variety of vestibular problems, including Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) and the reduced inner ear function on one or both sides associated with Meniere’s Disease, Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis.

Medical Director

In order to determine the best and most comprehensive treatment plan for all patients, comprehensive and thorough diagnostic evaluations are reviewed by the Center’s Medical Director Otolaryngologist (aka E.N.T.) Vicente Zapanta, MD.