Vestibular Rehabilitation

The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is a sensory system that is responsible for providing our brain with information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation. It is also involved with motor functions that allow us to keep our balance, stabilize our head and body during movement, and maintain posture. It's easy to see that the vestibular system is essential for normal movement and equilibrium!

Vestibular dysfunction can result in devastating problems for people, including vertigo (a sense of spinning), nausea and vomiting, difficulty with stabilizing vision when the head is moving, balance problems, and falls. Thankfully, there is help in the form of rehabilitation for people suffering with vestibular issues.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is offered by the Occupational Therapy department at Scott County Hospital. The goal of VRT is to alleviate problems caused by vestibular disorders, primarily vertigo and dizziness, gaze instability, and/or imbalance and falls.

Symptoms due to vestibular disorders can diminish quality of life and impact all aspects of daily living. They also contribute to emotional problems such as anxiety and depression. Additionally, one of the consequences of having a vestibular disorder is that symptoms frequently cause people to adopt a sedentary lifestyle in order to avoid bringing on, or worsening, dizziness and imbalance. As a result, decreased muscle strength and flexibility, increased joint stiffness, and reduced stamina can occur. Our Occupational Therapists aim to restore quality of life for their vestibular patients through specialized treatments that can improve, or even completely alleviate, vestibular symptoms.

Low Vision Rehabilitation

Scott County Hospital's Occupational Therapy department offers specialized treatment for individuals with low vision. Age-related vision loss is caused by conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. These conditions are often irreversible and have a negative effect on older adults' independence and quality of life, but Occupational Therapists can help people compensate for their vision deficits, to continue living satisfying and independent lives. Occupational therapists can perform home safety assessments to minimize risk for falls and accidents, recommend adaptive equipment and strategies to enable independence with basic tasks, and train in use of optical aids, such as magnifiers, for functional reading.

Physicians and optometrists can make referrals to the Low Vision program at SCH.