SLCH Balance Center

Take this quiz to find out if you are a good candidate for testing and treatment — 1. When you are dizzy, do you feel a spinning sensation? ☐ Yes ☐ No 2. Do sudden changes in position such as bending over, looking up or rolling over in bed provoke your symptoms or make them worse? ☐ Yes ☐ No 3. When you are dizzy, do you experience pain or pressure in your ears? ☐ Yes ☐ No 4. Is your hearing worse in one ear? ☐ Yes ☐ No 5. Do you have double or blurred vision? ☐ Yes ☐ No 6. Do you have increased sensitivity to light or sound? ☐ Yes ☐ No 7. Do you experience headaches or migraines when dizzy? ☐ Yes ☐ No 8. Do you experience ringing, buzzing or other sounds in your ears? ☐ Yes ☐ No

Hospital Information Phone.........................................................(845) 458-4400 Web Site...............www.stlukescornwallhospital.org

Parking

Once you have arrived at the hospital feel free to park in any unmarked parking space. Parking throughout this campus is free.

Directions

From New Paltz and points North to Cornwall Campus: Take I-87 South towards New York City.

Take EXIT 17 for NY-300. Turn right onto Route 300/ NY-300. Make a left onto to Little Britain RD/NY-207/ NY-300. Turn Left onto Quaker Ave/County Hwy-107.

Then make a slight left on Elm St. Take the 1st left onto Laurel Ave. The facility is on your left.

BALANCE CENTER

From Fishkill and points East to Cornwall Campus: Take 84 West towards Newburgh/Newburgh Beacon bridge. Take EXIT 10S towards Newburgh/NY-32.

Merge onto N Plank Rd/NY-32. Turn right onto Route 9W/US-9W S. Turn left on Laurel Ave. The facility is on the left.

From Fort Montgomery and points South to Cornwall Campus: Take Route 9W/ US-9W N. Turn right onto Laurel Ave. The facility is on the right.

From Middletown and points West to Cornwall Campus: Take NY-17 E toward I-84. Merge onto I-84 E via EXIT 121E toward Newburgh. Take the NY-17K exit, EXIT 6, toward Montgomery / Newburgh. Turn right onto Route 17K / NY-17K. Turn right onto Route 300 / NY-300. Continue to follow NY-300. Turn left onto Little Britain Rd / NY-207 / NY-300. Continue to follow NY-300. NY-300 becomes State Route 32 / NY-32. Turn left onto Quaker Ave / County Hwy-107.

Turn slight left onto Elm St. Take the 1st left onto Laurel Ave. The facility is on the left.

19 Laurel Avenue | Cornwall, NY Phone: (845) 458-4880 Fax: (845) 458-4885

If you answered yes to one or more questions, you may qualify for diagnostic tests that can help determine the source of your symptoms.

Ask your physician or call the St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Balance Center at (845) 458-4880 for more information.

WWW.STLUKESCORNWALLHOSPITAL.ORG SLCH#3274 0915

About the Balance Center

The Balance Center at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital is designed to help individuals who experience vertigo, dizziness and other balance related problems. We perform diagnostic tests of the balance system that will help your physician identify the cause of your balance disorder and suggest the most effective treatment plan.

Vestibular Balance Disorder

Dizziness may be characterized as imbalance or disequilibrium, lightheadedness, or the false sensation of movement (vertigo). Dizziness can be caused by a disturbance in a particular part of the inner ear – the vestibular system. The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. When your vestibular system is not working properly, the result may be dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, disorientation and possibly nausea and vomiting.

Common Types of Vestibular Disease

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) — A disorder that causes brief, intense episodes of vertigo with particular movements. It is due to otoconia, small crystals normally found in the inner ear, becoming displaced. If you have BPPV, you may have a spinning sensation when you move certain ways, such as when lying down, turning over in bed, or when looking for an object on a high or low shelf.

Labyrinthitis — Infection or inflammation of the inner ear that causes severe, continuous dizziness lasting hours to a few days, as well as hearing loss in one ear. Frequently, once the severe dizziness has resolved, there is a persistent sense of imbalance and brief episodes of vertigo with fast movements.

It may be associated with an upper respiratory infection such as the flu.

Vestibular Neuritis — Infection or inflammation of the balance (vestibular) nerve that causes severe, continuous dizziness lasting hours to a few days with no associated changes in hearing.

Similar to labyrinthitis, once the severe dizziness has resolved, frequently there is a persistent sense of imbalance and brief episodes of vertigo with fast movements.

Meniere’s Disease — Thought to be related to an imbalance of the inner ear fluids, it is characterized by episodes of vertigo in addition to fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus (a roaring or buzzing sound in the ear), and a sense of fullness in one ear. The exact cause of this disease is unknown.

Symptoms • Dizziness or Vertigo (a spinning sensation) • Falling or feeling as if you are going to fall • Lightheadedness, faintness, or a floating sensation • Blurred vision • Confusion or disorientation • Imbalance or disequilibrium Coordinated Care The St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital Balance Center uses a team approach to diagnose and treat your balance problems. Our multidisciplinary team of medical experts includes a otolaryngologist with subspecialty training in vestibular disorders, audiologist and vestibular therapists. It is not uncommon for individuals with a history of balance problems to regain their balance control through accurate diagnosis, followed by specific medical treatment and/or rehabilitation exercises.

Tests Performed Include — • Nystagmography • Optokinetic Nystagmus • Positional Nystagmus • Ocular Motility • Caloric test Vestibular Therapy A majority of patients tested will qualify for vestibular rehabilitation and or balance retraining.

Here they will be taught to accommodate, habituate, strengthen and re-train different aspects of their balance systems. If you or a loved one is experiencing dizziness or balance problems, speak with your physician or contact the SLCH Balance Center for more information.

Are you one of the 90 million Americans who suffer from dizziness?

Dizziness or imbalance frequently has treatable underlying causes. Balance testing is designed 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.