Unsteady? Wobbly? Off-balance? Professional Rehabilitation Services can help get you back on your feet.

By: Karl Ehlers, PT, DPT, Cert. DN

We are now into the third month of 2019 and you set a New Year's resolution to be more active and enjoy some of the local attractions along the beautiful coastline. Here in the Grand Strand, you're a stone's throw away from the beach and would love to get out on that sand to hear the waves rolling in. However, walking on an uneven surface may have you nervous about stumbling or falling. Even if the thoughts of getting out of a chair, walking down a long hallway, standing for a long time to prepare a meal, or walking out to your mailbox has you second guessing yourself while you're up on your feet, come see us at Professional Rehabilitation Services with 8 convenient locations throughout Horry County.

The human body relies on three major components that work together in order to help us maintain our balance in an upright position. These three areas are the vestibular, vision, and somatosensory systems. Here we will give a breakdown of how each one may help you on a daily basis.

• The Vestibular system is primarily what you think of when you hear the words "inner-ear." It helps us to control not only the movement of our body, but it also helps to control the movement of our eyes. A major component of vestibular retraining includes eye exercises in a variety of patterns to carry over to the day to day scanning our eyes must perform.
• The vision system uses the input from the environment in order to calculate the ways our body must move to avoid tripping or stumbling on objects that may be in our walking path. The vision system may even be impacted by low light situations, such as during dusk or dawn as there is less input from the environment for our eyes to process.
• Finally, the somatosensory system uses information from sensations such as pressure, touch, stretch of muscles and tendons, or vibration in order to determine where our body is in space. Therefore, if the ground we are walking on is uneven or softer, such as grass or sand, our body receives a different input compared to if you were to walk on asphalt or concrete and allows our body to adapt to these different surfaces and situations.

A plethora of diagnoses that may have an effect on your balance include, but are not limited to: muscular weakness, Peripheral Neuropathy from Diabetes or other autoimmune disorders, vertigo, arthritis, history of stroke, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, post-operative complications, aging, and even your footwear whether it is flip-flops, sneakers, or boots. As physical therapists with Professional Rehabilitation Services, we are the movement experts and are trained in the examination and treatment of the human body using evidence-based research techniques and individualized care so there are no "cookie-cutter" approaches. We are able to determine what impairments or deficits need to be addressed in order to help you return to a healthy and active lifestyle. If you are experiencing dizziness, balance issues, unsteadiness when walking, have aches and pains, sport related injuries, undergo a surgical procedure, or are simply interested in how your body works and how to prevent injuries, call one of our eight locations in Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, Surfside, Market Common, Myrtle Beach, Carolina Forest, Conway, or Little River and set up a consolation or evaluation to determine how we can help you.

For further information on this or other related topics you can contact Karl Ehlers, PT, DPT, Cert. DN at Professional Rehabilitation Services (Little River) (843) 281- 4222, Richard DeFalco, DPT, OCS, CSCS, CWcHP  (Myrtle Beach) (843) 839-1300, Brian P. Kinmartin PT, DPT, MTC, STC, OCS, CWcHP (Pawleys Island) (843) 235-0200, Richard A. Owens, MPT, OCS, Cert. SMT, CWcHP (Surfside) (843) 831-0163, Jill P. Phelan, PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Conway) (843) 773-3031, Lisa O'Brien, PT, DPT, Cert. DN (Murrells Inlet) (843) 314-3224, Samantha Crisafulli PT, DPT (Carolina Forest) (843) 282-0440, Zach Daniels PT, DPT (Market Commons) (843) 213-6338 or visit our website at www.prsrehabservices.com where you can learn more about the company and even download a referral form for your physician to fill out. You can also call and schedule a free 15-minute consultation.