Vestibular Rehabilitation SIG
| About Us | Mission & Objectives | Leadership | News | Contact Us |
CSM 2009
If you are planning to attend CSM - be aware that Vestibular SIG special programming "Arriving at a PT Diagnosis for Patients with Complaints of Dizziness" with Susan Herdman, PhD, PT is THURSDAY afternoon from 3-4:30pm. Please make your travel plans accordingly!
Keep reading to learn more about Vestibular-related content to look forward to in Las Vegas!
Join us at the Combined Sections Meeting in Las Vegas for High Rolling Vestibular Content!
February 9-12th, 2009
CSM is known for great programming and even better socializing! If you haven't made it to CSM before, this is the year to start. If you have, we can't wait to see you again - this time "It's Vegas Baby"! Here is a list of the ‘don't miss' events for vestibular therapists:
Monday, February 9th, expand your horizons and learn about vestibular rehabilitation for children at a pre-conference course sponsored by the Section on Pediatrics:
Identification of and Intervention for Vestibular Related Impairments in Children
Jennifer Braswell Christy, PT, PhD and Rose Marie Rine, PT, PhD
8:00 am - 5:00pm.
Tuesday, February 10th, update your knowledge about vestibular hypofunction and fall prevention:
Outcome and Expectations for Patients with Vestibular Hypofunction
Susan J. Herdman, PT, PhD
10:30 am - 12:15 pm
Paying Attention, Making Choices: The Role of Cognition in Falls Prevention!
Robert G. Winningham, PhD; Mike Studer, PT, MHS, NCS; Lee Dibble, PT, PhD, ATC; Karen McCulloch, PT, PhD, NCS
7:00 - 9:00 pm
On Wednesday get your questions answered about the psychology of dizziness what we mean by ‘balance'. Then spend the evening mingling with fellow Neurology Section members at the Myelin Melter.
Psychological Factors in Patients with Dizziness--Concepts, Detection, and Treatment
Jeffrey Staab, MD; Elizabeth Grace, PT, MS, NCS
8:00 - 11:00 am
It's a Matter of "Balance": In Search of a Consensus Definition
Fay Bahling Horak, PT, PhD, Roberta A. Newton, PT, PhD, Susan L. Whitney, PT, PhD, NCS, ATC, FAPTA
4:00 - 5:30 pm
Myelin Melter: Neurology Section Reception and Business Meeting
Neurology Section Leadership
6:00 - 9:00 pm
Thursday, don't miss two sessions sponsored by the Vestibular SIG.
Defining Competency for Managing Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction
Join us for this roundtable discussion about the minimum skill set therapists should have for treating persons with vestibular dysfunction. Moderators Julie Tilson, DPT, NCS and Ray Hedenberg, PT will represent neurologic and orthopedic perspectives. Bring your orthopedic friends!
8:00 - 10:00 am
Arriving at a PT Diagnosis for Patients with Complaints of Dizziness
Meet the Vestibular SIG leadership and hear our featured speaker, Susan Herdman, PhD, PT. Dr. Herdman will present a paradigm for arriving at a PT diagnosis based on history and clinical examination of persons with dizziness. Her talk will cover oculomotor examination, nystagmus, the head thrust test, and vestibular function tests such as caloric, VEMPs, subjective visual vertical and rotary chair, and the signs and symptoms associated with central and peripheral vestibular system deficits.
3:30 - 4:30 pm
There's more! Don't miss the many exciting posters in the exhibit hall (see the upcoming Vestibular SIG newsletter for a list of Vestibular-related posters)
Sincerely,
Your Vestibular SIG Leadership
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About Us
The Vestibular Rehabilitation Special Interest Group (VR SIG) is an extension of the APTA Neurology Section. Its membership focus is centered on supporting the practice of physical therapists and physical therapy assistants who treat patients with vestibular related disorders. By providing a network of collaboration and education the group fosters opportunities to highlight and build solid foundations of clinical practice to provide care and management of patients with balance and movement disorders relating to vestibular deficits.
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Mission & Objectives
The mission of the Vestibular Rehabilitation special interest group (VR SIG) is to provide a forum for APTA Neurology Section members who have a common interest in the promotion of health, wellness, optimal function, and quality of life for individuals with balance and vestibular disorders. The VR SIG is committed to facilitating advances in physical therapy for patient management, education, research and health care policy that reflect the needs of those we serve.
COMMUNICATION
- Provide a network for clinicians, educators and researchers as a vestibular rehabilitation resource.
Inform the membership of SIG activities through the SIG newsletter. - Use the Neurology Section web site for exchange of information between SIG members and as an information resource for other health care professionals.
- Act as a liaison between SIG members and organizations with interest in vestibular rehabilitation.
RESEARCH
- Facilitate exchange of information that would impact the treatment of the vestibular patient between researchers and clinicians.
EDUCATION
- Provide educational programming with the Neurology Section to include topics of interest to SIG members.
- Update members regarding current research and treatment through the SIG newsletter and provide a forum for discussion of topics related to vestibular rehabilitation at APTA national meetings.
LEGISLATION
- Monitor and share information on reimbursement systems and the coverage policies for vestibular rehabilitation.
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Leadership
Chair
 | Susan L. Whitney, PT, PhD, NCS, ATC E-mail: whitney@pitt.edu |
Vice Chair
 | Julie Tilson, PT, DPT, NCS E-Mail: jktilson@earthlink.net |
Secretary
 | Michelle L. Gutierrez, PT E-Mail: mlgutierrez@zianet.com |
Nominating Committee
 | Patricia A Farr Winkler, PT, DSc, NCS |
 | Kenda S Fuller, PT, NCS |
 | Debbie Struiksma. PT, NCS E-mail: DStruiksma77@aol.com |
Newsletter Editor
 | Sharan Zirges, PT, NCS |
 | Elizabeth Grace, PT, MS, NCS E-Mail: elizabeth.grace@uphs.upenn.edu |
Practice Liaison
 | Col. Kim Gottshall, PT, Ph E-Mail: kim.gottshall@med.navy.mil |
WEBSITE COORDINATOR
 | Laura Morris, PT, NCS E-Mail: ptforbalance@gmail.com |
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New in the news
We are adding Papers/Abstracts of the month
Our first paper is "The effect of early customized vestibular rehabilitation on balance after acoustic neuroma resection" by Vereeck L, Wuyts FL, Truijen S, De Valck C, Van de Heyning PH. Read more.
Our abstract is: Daily exercise does not prevent recurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Helminski JO, Janssen I, Hain TC. Otol Neurotol. 2008 Oct;29(7):976-81. Read more.
This paper is not free (a click above takes one to the abstract) but suggests that continued self-repositioning does not affect recurrence rates of BPPV.
The Clinical practice guideline: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Read more.
A neurology practice parameter related to fall risk has recently been published. Read more.
Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation: Practice & Billing Survey
The Vestibular Rehabilitation Special Interest Group (VR SIG), as part of the APTA Neurology Section, wishes to develop an ongoing mechanism to evaluate the practice and billing trends in Specialty Balance & Vestibular Programs and other future areas of practice. This survey of the membership will be used to determine the actual practice patterns versus the theoretic model presented at CSM 2008 and to determine the degree of consistency or inconsistency that currently exists within the membership. Formal survey of this specialty group will be completed in 2008 and the results summarized at CSM 2009 regarding current Practice and Billing Trends in Specialty Balance & Vestibular Programs. The questionnaire should take no longer than 10 -15 minutes to complete. Participate in the survey.
Position Confirms Physical therapists as Providers of Choice for Vestibular-Related Balance Disorders
The American Physical Therapy Association House of Delegates adopted a position to confirm current practice indicating that physical therapists are practitioners of choice in the rehabilitation and management of vestibular-related balance disorders.
Current legislative and practice environments have provided challenges for physical therapists to be recognized as practitioners of choice in caring for individuals with vestibular-related balance disorders, more so than with other practice settings for physical therapy, said the House. By adopting this position, APTA can influence and lend support to practitioners facing these practice issues, and provide an easily accessed and referenced position of the role of physical therapy in vestibular-related balance disorders. [RC 26-07]
Cochrane Report 2007
"There is moderate to strong evidence that vestibular rehabilitation is a safe, effective management for unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction, based on a number of high quality randomized controlled trials." Read more
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Contact Us
Susan L. Whitney, PT, PhD, NCS, ATC
E-mail: whitney@pitt.edu
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