Balance/Vestibular Flashcards
(40 cards)
Children rely on what system heavily for balance
vision
VOR is
head/eye movement coordination
supports gaze stabilization
Vestibulospinal reflex (VSR)
attempts to stabilize the body and control movement.
assists with stability while head is moving as well as coordination of trunk during upright postures
Strategies for balance
ankle
hip
suspensory
stepping
ankle strategy is
first strategy
hip strategy is
elicited by greater force, challenge or perturbation through the pelvis and hips
hips will move in opposite direction from the head
muscles contract proximally to distally to counteract balance
suspensory strategy is.
lower center of gravity by knee flexion, crouching or squatting
Peripheral vertigo:
duration?
autonomic symptoms?
what kind of factor?
signs?
ears?
episodic and short duration
they are present
precipitating
pallor, sweating, nausea and vomiting
auditory fullness
tinnitus
Central vertigo:
autonomic symptoms?
consciousness?
neurological symptoms?
less severe
loss of it
diplopia, hemianopsia, weakness, numbness, ataxia, dyarthria
Types of peripheral vertigo?
BPPV
menieres
infection
trauma/tumor
metabolic disorders
acute alcohol intoxication
Types of central vertigo?
meningitis
migraine
complications of neurologic origin post ear infection
trauma/tumor
cerebellar degeneration disorders
MS
BPPV commonly affects which canal?
posterior semicurcular
Which way is nystagmus in posterior canal issues?
vertical
Which way is nystagmus in anterior canal issues?
down
Which way is nystagmus in horizontal canal issues?
horizontal (towards lowest ear)
When checking for nystagmus, what kinds of things are you looking for?
eye movement: horizontal, vertical, rotatory or mixed
type of eye movement: pendular or jerk
direction: bidirectional or unidirectional
nystagmus movement: binocular or monocular with symmetrical or dissociated movements
Congenital nystagmus
mild and does not change in severity over lifetime. Usually not associated with another pathology
Spontaneous nystagmus
imbalance of vestibular signals in oculomotor neurons causing constant drift in one direction countered by quick movement in opposite direction. Occurs after acute vestibular lesion and only lasts 24 hours
Peripheral nystagmus
occurs with peripheral vestibular lesion and is inhibited when patient fixates vision on object
Central nystagmus
central lesion of brainstem/cerebellum and is not inhibited by visual fixation on an object
Positional nystagmus
induced by change in head position
semicircular canals stimulate nystagmus that typically lasts only a few seconds
Gaze-evoked nystagmus
when eyes shift
inability to maintain stable gaze position
CNS pathology associated with brain injury and MS
Central lesion nystagmus:
direction?
visual fixation?
vertigo?
length?
etiology?
bidirectional or unidirectional
no inhibition or fixation
mild
chronic
demyelination of nerves, vascular lesion, cancer/tumor
Peripheral lesion nystagmus:
direction?
visual fixation?
vertigo?
length?
etiology?
unidirectional with fast segment of movement indicating the opposite direction of lesion
will inhibit nystagmus and vertigo
significant
minutes, days, weeks but finite period; recurrent
menieres, vascular disorders, trauma, toxicity, infection of inner ear