Cottage Grove Physical Therapy Services, Inc.



		1498 E Main St., Suite 109 • Cottage Grove, OR 97424 • Phone 541-767-2750 • Fax 541-767-2751

Physical Therapy

	What We Do

	Accessing Physical Therapy Serivces


About Cottage Grove PT

	Our Services

	Gym Information

Our Team
	W. Stu Hogg, PT, COMT Stu has been a Physical Therapist in Southern Oregon since 1992. He specializes in Orthopedics, Spine & Sports Rehabilitaion.
	Heather LaPrath, DPT Heather graduated from the doctorate program at the University of Montana in 2011.
	Christy Karcher, *PT, OCS, Cert-MDT, CSFA* Christina has been a physical therapist in Lane County since 1986, specializing in orthopedics, sport and spine rehabilitation

Vestibular Rehabilitation

The specific definition of vertigo is an illusion of motion. Quite simply, it refers not just to illusions of motions but also chronic or intermittent sensation of loss of balance. The inner ear is responsible for our sense of balance and also our sense of position in space. When the inner ear is not functioning correctly, we lose our sense of balance and frequently suffer symptoms such as vertigo, nausea, vomiting, and loss of balance.

In specific forms of vertigo where the inner ear has suffered damage and the function of that ear is fixed or not changing over time, physical therapy can be helpful. If you have a loss of balance, then physical therapy can help restore this balance. The reason physical therapy is helpful is that it helps train the brain to compensate for the loss of function in the ear. Just as you can make a muscle stronger by exercising it, you can make the balance system in the brain work better by exercising it.

A complete evaluation will be completed on your first visit by Michael Young, DPT. He will develop a personalized treatment program for you which will include:

Information about your condition

A home exercise program will be designed for you with exercises and activities to be performed during your therapy sessions and at home
Ways to increase safety and independence at home, work and in the community
Information on national support organizations for people with dizziness, balance disorders, and related hearing problems

Vestibular rehabilitation it is a relatively new form of physical therapy and not all physical therapists are trained in the practice. At first, the exercises consist of movements that initially make the vertigo worse and balance tasks that are quite difficult. By doing these repetitively, the balance system in the brain learns to function better. Common exercises include moving the eyes from side to side, rotating the head from side to side, rotating the head from side to side while walking down a corridor, and things like this.