Philadelphia Hospitals: Balance

It’s one thing to be called a dizzy blonde and quite another to suffer from a disorder that makes you genuinely off-balance. Vertigo is not uncommon and may come from a virus, a tumor, or damage to the balance mechanisms in the ear, or as the after-effect of an antibiotic. Balance problems are often tricky to diagnose, but the Balance Center brings together specialists in ear, nose and throat, neurology, neuro-radiology, psychiatry, audiology and physical therapy to test for the cause and find a treatment (UPHS, 3400 Spruce Street, 800-789-7366, pennhealth.com/ent/balance).

One in three seniors experience a fall every year, and those numbers include falls from balance problems. Balance by Design assesses and treats anyone in a spin. What makes it special are the physical therapists who run “FallProof,” a balance and mobility training course created to improve balance through strength, flexibility and center-of-gravity control training (Health and Wellness Center by Doylestown Hospital, 847 Easton Road, Warrington, 215-918-5968, dh.org).