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Balance Center
Last updated: 09/29/2008
The father and son team of Joseph B. Touma and B. Joseph Touma joined forces with Cabell Huntington Hospital to create a new center designed to help people with disorders that affect their balance.
The Cabell Huntington Hospital Balance Center, located at 1616 13th Ave. in Huntington, offers cost-effective diagnosis and treatment of patients who have difficulty performing balance and mobility tasks required in their daily lives. Balance disorders are very complex and can be difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.
"There are mainly three parts of the body that make us feel balanced," said B. Joseph Touma, MD, of River Cities Ear, Nose and Throat and medical director of the Cabell Huntington Hospital Balance Center. "Our visual, vestibular and somatosensory systems all play a part in keeping the body balanced."
Research Performed by NASA
Unlike blood chemistry, fractures and muscular disorders, in which lab work, X-rays and MRIs can help the physician determine the cause of the problem, the tests involved in determining what is causing someone to feel dizzy or off balance are subjective and require a great deal of patient input. The CHH Balance Center uses the NeuroCom assessment system, which has its roots in research performed by NASA related to balance in space.
"Vestibular disorders can affect people differently," said Touma, who completed a two-year fellowship in neurotology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Our center and the equipment we have allows us to perform up to 18 different tests to get a look at how each patient functions on a day-to-day basis."
In addition to helping Touma and the center's staff determine the cause of a patient's balance problem, the equipment helps them come up with a targeted plan of treatment and therapy.
"One of the nice things the equipment does is give the patients biofeedback," said Jeff Ashton, a physical therapist for the center. "They can see themselves on the screen while they are undergoing the test, and they get a better understanding of what we are trying to accomplish with the therapy."
"The goal of the center is to manage the disease in a way that maximizes our patients' functioning, allowing them to lead more normal lives and decreasing their risk of falling and injuring themselves," Touma said.
"We're excited about bringing this service to the people of the Tri-State," said Brent Marsteller, president and CEO of Cabell Huntington Hospital. "Our center is unique to West Virginia because we have a neurotologist, audiologist, and physical therapists all under one roof. This team, coupled with the equipment we use, makes our center the most comprehensive in the state."
Striking a Balance
The Physical Therapy Products website has published an article by C.A. Wolski, titled "Striking a Balance", about vestibular therapy available at Cabell Huntington Hospital.
Click here to read the article
Contact Information:
| Phone: | (304) 526-2413 |