Does your child struggle to stay on their feet? Do they ever complain that the world seems to be spinning around them? Both are signs of a potential balance problem. Fortunately, pediatric physical therapy for balance challenges offers several possible options!
Balance issues are more common among children than you might expect. One survey found that nearly 5.3% of U.S. children (almost 3.3 million) have some sort of persistent dizziness or balance problem, with occurrences being slightly higher among older children and teenagers. And about 20% of kids had experienced mild to moderate dizziness or balance issues! However, of those affected kids, only about 30% ever received treatment.
Persistent dizziness and balance issues typically have an underlying physical cause, usually related to the vestibular system, a structure in your inner ear and parts of your brain that controls balance and stability. Identifying that underlying cause is the first step to resolving your child’s balance issues completely.
The pediatric therapists at Mark Their Words Therapy Services have experience helping kids manage dizziness and improve their balance and stability. We’ll work closely with you and your child to identify the root cause–and provide a fun, tailored program to address it.
Ready to get started with pediatric physical therapy for balance challenges? Call our Clarksville, TN office to schedule an appointment today!
Understanding Childhood Dizziness and Balance Disorders
Our body is balanced by the vestibular system, a network of tiny canals and structures in our inner ear that send messages to our brains. If something disrupts that system, it will often manifest as vertigo–a type of dizziness in which it feels as if you or the room is spinning around, even when you’re standing still.
Vertigo is distinct from dizziness, a far broader term for lightheadedness or wooziness. Everyone feels dizzy sometimes, such as when you stand up too fast or after getting off a roller coaster. But if your child is persistently complaining that they feel “dizzy” or that the room is moving, bring them to Mark Their Words Therapy Services for an evaluation.
We can usually treat vestibular impairments easily. Here are some of the most common likely to affect children:
- Infections: Middle ear infections or other types of infections can impact the vestibular system.
- Congenital Issues: Some children may have congenital abnormalities in their vestibular system, which affect their balance spatial awareness.
- Head Injury: If your child has suffered a head injury, the damage might extend to their inner ear, leading to issues with their vestibular systems.
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV): This condition is also a common cause of childhood balance issues. It occurs when tiny crystals build up in the inner ear, causing dizziness and instability. What causes those crystals to build up in the first place, however, is unclear.
- Neurological Disorders: If your child is very young, their balance issues might be related to certain neurological disorders. One of our experts can let you know for sure.
Balance Challenges: How Pediatric Physical Therapy Can Help
Our experts will first perform a comprehensive physical exam to help us understand your child’s exact symptoms and condition. We’ll observe them playing and moving to help us understand their strength and limitations. We’ll also talk to you about their symptoms and health history.
From there, we’ll develop a customized treatment program that addresses your child’s specific needs. While every program will look different, we’ll typically use one or more of the following techniques:
- Balance Training: We’ll provide your child with fun balance challenges and games to help them improve their overall balance and stability in a way that feels like playtime. This can involve static exercises (like standing on one foot) or dynamic exercises (like walking on a balance beam).
- Pediatric Vestibular Rehabilitation: If your child’s balance issues stem from their vestibular system, we might incorporate vestibular rehab exercises into their treatment plan. These might include obstacle courses, jumping on trampolines, or swinging, which can help the child’s brain adapt to and process vestibular stimuli better.
- Habituation Exercises and Gaze Stabilization Exercises: These are repetitive exercises designed to reduce the response to movement-induced dizziness. These exercises also help improve control of eye movements so that vision can be clear during head movement.
An example is having the child focus on a target while turning their head. By repeatedly exposing the child to the movement that causes dizziness, the brain can get used to it and reduce the dizzy sensation over time. - Home Activities: Finally, we can provide simple exercises to continue your child’s treatment at home. Doing so will help you achieve a successful outcome more quickly and efficiently!
We understand that every child is different. Our customized programs will speak to your child’s specific strengths so they can find their balance–and find it easier to live a healthy, active life!
Got Balance Challenges? Try Pediatric Physical Therapy Today!
Your child deserves to run, dance, skip, and play–without sudden bouts of vertigo or the risk of falling. The Mark Their Words Therapy Services physical therapists are here to help. We offer pediatric physical therapy for balance challenges as part of our suite of services.
Ready to get started? Request an appointment today!
