Balance Disorder Treatment in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Simi Valley, and Oxnard
Balance Is Critical to Healthy Living
We never realize just how much we have taken our balance for granted until we experience our first spells of dizziness or falls.
It’s scary, it can shatter your confidence, and the simplest of tasks can become daunting.
With many balance challenges linked to your inner ear, our team of expert doctors of audiology is the team of choice for many physicians throughout Ventura County and Los Angeles. These physicians know our reputation and dedication to the highest standard of quality care and have confidence in our ability to help their patients.
We are also proud to offer state-of-the-art technology that only a small number of clinics within the US have, and which can often be used to help identify and address balance challenges. Our goal is to find a solution quickly and effectively, to help you to get back to your normal, confident self.
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I am totally satisfied to have everything taken care of with one stop. A very friendly & professional place.
Schedule a Balance Test
What Do Our Ears Have to Do with Balance?
Working together to transmit sound to your brain, the semicircular canals, the otolithic organs, and the cochlea are three complex components located inside your inner ear. Having the appearance of three circular loops, the function of the semicircular canals are is also critical for maintaining balance.
Each of the loops senses movement in a different direction in order to signal a loss of balance. Similar to the bubble in a carpenter’s level or plumb, as the fluid within these loops moves, the hair cells sense the movement and transmit signals to your brain, which in turn activates other parts of your body to make the proper adjustments, or cause you to reach out and grab a hold of something or someone with more stability.
Recognizing the Symptoms and Causes of Balance Issues
When you are moving or navigating uneven terrain, feeling that you are out of balance is a good thing. However, when you experience symptoms of imbalance, dizziness, vertigo, and/or nausea when you are sitting or standing still, then these are indicators of a balance issue.
For those with damage or deterioration of structures in the inner ear, motion sickness, instability when sitting down or standing up, or severe vertigo even while lying down are indicators of balance issues. The cause producing these symptoms often relates to various other health conditions, including:
Labyrinthitis or Vestibular Neuronitis
Inflammation in the labyrinth structure of the inner ear, which can produce tinnitus and hearing loss, typically stems from some sort of infection.
Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuronitis are almost identical, but symptoms associated with the latter do not include hearing loss.
Meniere’s disease
This condition is the result of an increase in pressure within the labyrinth structure. Meniere’s disease usually affects only one ear, but can affect both ears in rare instances.
Although there is no cure, the condition often disappears within a few years, but medications can help manage the condition.
Perilymph Fistula
The condition known as perilymph fistula occurs whenever fluid from the inner ear leaks into the middle ear.
The leakage usually takes place in association with a severe ear infection or in relation to a head injury or head surgery and is common in birth defects, but it can also appear after scuba diving.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common condition related to positional balance, which is less critical than the other conditions, but still a concern due to risk of injury.
Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS)
Named for the feelings of dizziness often experienced after disembarking from a boat, this condition presents as a prolonged movement, such as the rocking of a boat or motion of a treadmill, even after you have disengaged from those activities.
Diagnosing and Treating Balance Disorders
Because of the role played by the ears, our team at West Coast Hearing and Balance Center is made up of experts in diagnosing and treating all types of balance disorders.
To treat balance disorders, we take a critical look at its root cause and the severity of the condition to determine the proper treatment option.
Because of the role played by the ears, our team at West Coast Hearing and Balance Center is made up of experts in diagnosing and treating all types of balance disorders.
We prescribe antibiotics for inflammation-causing infections associated with labyrinthitis, medications required to help manage the pressure produced by Meniere’s disease, or other medication, therapies, and treatments for other balance disorders.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) provides a viable solution to patients with BPPV or MdDS and other conditions that cause vertigo.
VRT helps to desensitize the balance system, especially when adjusting to certain movements, using a series of simple exercises. Although VRT is not a cure, it allows patients to move around freely without triggering vertigo, helps them to cope with vertigo, and also helps to prevent falls.
Schedule a Balance Test
Vertigo and nausea can show up out of nowhere, throwing you off balance and risking falls.
Because balance issues are related to problems in the inner ear, seeking treatment from one of our audiologists before a severe injury is critical.
The doctors at West Coast Hearing and Balance Center are experts in diagnosing and treating balance disorders. Take advantage of our expertise by submitting our “Schedule a Balance Test” form, so that one of our doctors can discuss your issue and arrange an appointment.
Local Hearing Loss Journeys
"The staff were very professional and friendly and put my mind at ease"
"I remember feeling confused at the prospect of having a hearing loss. I had so many preconceived ideas about visiting an audiologist but my experience with West Coast Hearing & Balance Center has been 10 out of 10.
Lucie M
"They were competent and knew what they were doing"
“My hearing loss was getting worse over time and I got to the point where I just wanted to hear better again. My impression of West Coast Hearing & Balance Center was that they were competent
Murray R
“It’s not your fault if you have a hearing loss, and you deserve to hear without having to ask people to repeat everything to you.”
My family has a history of hearing difficulties, with my grandmother being born deaf and several of my aunts and uncles struggling with hearing as well.
Julianne W.
“The results have been much better than I ever could have imagined.”
I was advised to get my hearing checked, but my first experience left me feeling like I was being sold a package of goods. That all changed when I met Dr. Nelson. He is a true professional who explained everything and answered all my concerns, which made me feel confident in his care.
Steven R.
“My worries were quickly alleviated when I visited West Coast Hearing & Balance Center.”
I was very concerned about how I would appear to other people if I were to need a hearing aid. Would they see me as old or disabled? And the thought of being dependent on something to hear was daunting.
Frances E.
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