It’s that time of the year again. September 14-20 is National Balance Awareness Week and MOSAIC Physical Therapy & Massage is participating.

According to Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA), “The goal of Balance Awareness Week is to reduce the time it takes to diagnose a vestibular disorder. We help patients recognize the symptoms of a vestibular disorder and urge them to seek help from a professional specialist. We also encourage family and friends to learn more about vestibular disorders so they can support their loved ones’ who are suffering from dizziness and other debilitating symptoms.”

The vestibular system helps one stay balanced by sending signals about body and head movement to the brain. These signals are combined with signals sent from the visual system and the proprioceptive system of the body. If there is a dysfunction of the vestibular system, one will feel off-balance. A 2009 study by Agrawal et al. found that as many as 35 percent of adults aged 40 years or older in the United States – approximately 69 million Americans – have experienced some form of vestibular dysfunction.

Treating vestibular disorders is often a multi-disciplinary and multi-faceted. Physical therapists are a part of these multi-disciplinary teams. They can evaluate the vestibular system with different tests and refer to specialty providers as needed. They can prescribe exercise and perform hands-on techniques that involve moving the head and body to restore normal vestibular function for some disorders.

The Seattle Dizzy Group will be hosting a Walk for Balance Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Green Lake Seattle Public Library. The event starts at 12 p.m. and lasts until 2 p.m. There will be a 1-mile walk to help raise awareness of balance disorders and for support of those with diseases that cause poor balance. MOSAIC Physical Therapy will be in attendance and will be available to answer questions about dizziness and physical therapy.

For more information, visit www.mosaicrehab.com/MLT or go to https://vestibular.org/BAW