Vestibular Certificate Series

Dizziness accounts for 5.6 million clinic visits a year in the US. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most frequent single cause of isolated positional vertigo, accounting for nearly one-half of patients with peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Approximately 17-41% of patients seen in dizziness clinics and 25% of patients sent for vestibular testing have BPPV. Most often, BPPV can be easily diagnosed and treated with 100% resolution of symptoms in clinics within 1-2 treatment sessions. However, there has been an increasing number of cases with atypical presentation of BPPV needing clinical expertise in recognition, assessment, and treatment. As a practicing healthcare professional, no matter what your expertise is, adding knowledge and treatment methods to your toolbox for this disorder is imperative for supplementation of a complete therapeutic skill set.

Practicing healthcare professionals will leave this workshop with a clear understanding of the normal functioning of the inner ear's vestibular system, pathophysiology of BPPV and its variants, and application ofa simple clinical algorithm to help make differential diagnosis of BPPV. A review of current clinical practice guidelines will be included to strengthen the differential diagnosis processand clinical application of treatment of both typical and atypical BPPV. A case study in the end will include participant's participation to recognize signs and symptoms of typical and atypical BPPV, make a diagnosis, and then prepare a treatment plan. In addition, participants will learn torecognize when a patient is not presenting with BPPV and when to refer to a neurologist or another medical specialist. Multiple videos will be used to demonstrate clinical assessment and treatment maneuvers of BPPV and itsvariants.

• Immediately improve your client's functional limitations by choosing appropriate maneuvers to treat their positional vertigo
• Improve your knowledge in understanding the physiology of BPPV and accurately diagnose the canal involved by accurately using differential diagnostic algorithm
• Practical assessment and simple breakdown of positive and negative results of each test used
• Effective treatment strategies to successfullytreat BPPV
• Classify when BPPV has atypical presentation and be able to successfully assess and treat it

According to the Vestibular Disorders Association, nearly 100 million Americans have experienced a vestibular problem at some point in their lives. There are numerous causes of vestibular dysfunction and the symptoms are many. Head trauma, cervical dysfunction, soft tissue and bony malalignment, and bacterial and viral infections are just some of the causative factors relating to headache, dizziness and vertigo related syndromes. This workshop is designed to enhance participants' awareness of the various indicators relating to headaches, dizziness, vertigo, gait and balance dysfunctions. Individuals with a diagnosed vestibular problem who also exhibit symptoms have an incidence of falling that is 12 times that of the general population. Overall, the cost of medical care for patients with balance disorders exceeds $1 billion per year in the US. Getting effective treatment is frequently complicated by the challenge of diagnosing the specific source of the problem and finding clinicians with the knowledge and experience to treat these individual co-morbiddiagnoses.

This workshop will identify the broad based aspects relating to the complicated dizzy/vertigo/headache/balance compromised patient. There will be an overview of the multiple diagnoses and many syndromes associated with complicated patients who exhibit potential vestibular dysfunction. Participants will learn to combine practical assessment techniques with effective treatment options including different manual therapy approaches to calming thevariety of symptoms relating to patients suffering from multiple diagnoses.

• Confidently assess the source of vestibular problems and develop a treatment plan that works
• Techniques to efficiently identify and treat BPPV in one session and treatment modifications that can be adapted to any setting
• Functional balance testing: Turning Rombergs into rehab
• Trigger point release techniques to rule out myofascial pain and correct postural malalignments
• Effectively differentiate vestibular disorders from pain syndromes including headaches, and central vs. peripheral nervous system dysfunctions

According to the Vestibular Disorders Association, over 90 million Americans age 17 and older, have experienced a dizziness or balance problem at some point in their lives. Almost 8 million people in the US have a problem with balance that has lasted over 3 months and 2.5 million report a chronic dizziness problem. With the large amount of baby boomers entering "retirement age", there is increased concern about falling. Most people over the age of 70 report some problem with dizziness and balance and balance-related fallsaccount for more than one-half of the accidental deaths in the elderly. In addition, individuals with a diagnosed vestibularproblem who also exhibit symptoms have an incidence of falling that is 12 times that of the general population. Overall,the cost of medical care for patients with balance disordersexceeds $1 billion per year in the US. Getting effective treatment is frequently complicated by the challenge of diagnosing the specific source of the problem and finding clinicians with the knowledge and experience to treat these problems.

This interactive workshop will cover the anatomy, physiology and function of the vestibular system and the vestibular system's important role in balance and mobility. It isdesigned to give therapists and clinicians basic essential information needed to assess and treat uncomplicated vestibular dysfunction as well as incidence, diagnosis and treatment of balance related disorders. Attendees will learnthe various types of vestibular disorders, how they affect different populations and basic clinical tools for appropriate evaluation and treatment strategies. The instructor will frequently use case studies and hands on labs to bring real world relevance.

• Inner-ear Anatomy and Physiology and what every therapist needs to know
• Various diagnoses and their impact on vestibular/balancecontrol such as BPPV, Meniere's, Vestibular Labyrinthitis & Neuronitis, etc.
• Evaluation & Assessment Tools needed for evaluation and treatment of vestibular and balance disorders
• Hands-on Labs of Evaluation and Treatment Techniques for better patient outcomes
• Case Studies and Pharmacological implications
• The Balance Control System and its direct impact on a patient's ability to maintain balance and function in daily living