What is a Balance Tracking System?
Balance is controlled by an intricate network involving your brain, inner ear, eyes, and body. At Aura Functional Neurology Center, we use advanced Balance Tracking Systems technology to measure how these systems work together precisely – or where they’re breaking down. This objective assessment guides Dr. Diana Tyler in developing targeted treatments for your balance, dizziness, and neurological symptoms.
Dr. Diana Tyler DC, DACNB
Founder of Aura Functional Neurology Center. Board-certified chiropractic Neurologist and neurorehabilitation specialist with extensive experience treating cases at the Aura FNC office located in Cumming, Georgia. Graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Neurology Board.
Understanding Balance Beyond "Standing on One Foot"
Balance problems affect far more than just your risk of falling. They can contribute to:
- Chronic fatigue from your brain working overtime to keep you stable
- Anxiety and panic, as your brain interprets instability as danger
- Brain fog from excessive neural resources devoted to balance
- Headaches and migraine triggered by vestibular strain
- Difficulty concentrating when your brain is constantly compensating
Our Balance Tracking Systems reveal these hidden connections, showing how balance dysfunction impacts your entire neurological system.
What the Technology Measures
This sophisticated platform uses force plate technology to detect tiny shifts in your center of gravity – movements so small you don’t even feel them. The system captures thousands of data points per second, creating a detailed picture of your postural control.
Key Measurements Include:
Sway Patterns: The direction and amount of body sway reveal which sensory systems you’re relying on most heavily and which may be compromised.
Weight Distribution: Asymmetries between left and right sides can indicate neurological imbalances, previous injuries, or compensation patterns.
Stability Scores: Objective measurements compare your balance to age-matched norms, documenting the severity of dysfunction.
Sensory Integration: By testing with eyes open/closed and on different surfaces, we identify whether problems stem from visual, vestibular, or proprioceptive systems.
The Assessment Experience
During your evaluation at our Cumming, Georgia office, you’ll stand on the specialized platform for several brief tests, each lasting 20-30 seconds. We test balance under different conditions:
- Eyes open on a firm surface (baseline)
- Eyes closed on a firm surface (removing visual input)
- Eyes open on foam surface (challenging proprioception)
- Eyes closed on foam surface (maximum challenge)
The entire assessment takes about 10 minutes and is entirely non-invasive. We ensure your safety throughout, with support rails nearby if needed.
Revealing Hidden Dysfunction
Balance Tracking Systems often uncover problems that patients didn’t even know existed. Many people with neurological conditions have developed compensation strategies that mask their balance issues—until the system reveals the extra effort their brain expends to maintain stability.
Common discoveries include:
- POTS/Dysautonomia patients: Excessive sway when standing still, explaining fatigue and orthostatic intolerance
- Post-concussion: Increased reliance on vision for balance, contributing to screen sensitivity and headaches
- Migraine sufferers: Vestibular involvement they weren’t aware of, linking balance to headache patterns
- Long COVID: Multi-sensory integration problems explaining dizziness and disorientation
From Data to Treatment
The precise data from Balance Tracking Systems directly shapes your personalized neurorehabilitation program:
Vestibular Rehabilitation: If testing shows inner ear involvement, we incorporate specific exercises to retrain your vestibular system.
Proprioceptive Training: Poor body position sense leads to targeted exercises improving your awareness of body positioning.
Visual-Vestibular Integration: When the eyes and the balance system aren’t coordinating, we use specific techniques to restore this crucial connection.
Cerebellar Rehabilitation Certain sway patterns indicate cerebellar dysfunction, guiding us toward coordination and timing exercises.
Autonomic Training For dysautonomia patients, we address how changes in blood flow affect balance and stability.
Why Objective Measurement Matters
“Normal” balance testing in conventional settings often misses subtle dysfunction. You might pass a standard neurological exam while still experiencing significant problems. Balance Tracking Systems provide the objective evidence needed to:
- Validate your symptoms when others say you’re “fine”
- Document the true extent of your dysfunction
- Justify the need for comprehensive treatment
- Track recovery with precise measurements
- Celebrate improvements you might not yet feel
This is especially important for functional neurological disorder, where objective findings help both validate and guide treatment.
Progress You Can See
We repeat balance assessments throughout your 5-day, 10-day, or 15-day intensive treatment program. Patients often see measurable improvements even before they feel different, providing motivation and confirming that neuroplastic changes are occurring.
The visual reports generated by the system make it easy to understand your progress. You’ll see your stability scores improve, sway patterns normalize, and symmetry restored – concrete evidence of your brain’s remarkable ability to heal and adapt.
Both acute migraine attacks and the chronic nature of migraine contribute to these alterations, impacting various areas of the brain. Understanding these changes is essential in developing effective interventions, and this is where brain rehabilitation and functional neurology play a crucial role.
Integration with Comprehensive Care
Balance Tracking Systems data combines with findings from:
- Vestibular First Insight PRO+ goggle testing
- CNS Vital Signs cognitive assessment
- Comprehensive neurological examination
This multi-factorial approach ensures we understand not just that you have balance problems, but exactly why they’re occurring and how to address them.
Dr. Tyler uses these integrated findings to create treatment plans that address all contributing factors simultaneously – applying the latest knowledge in clinical neuroscience to promote lasting neurological change.
Real Impact on Daily Life
Improving balance through targeted treatment does more than prevent falls. Patients report:
- Increased energy as their brain works less hard to maintain stability
- Reduced anxiety and panic symptoms
- Improved mental clarity and focus
- Fewer headaches and migraine attacks
- Greater confidence in movement and activity
These improvements extend far beyond the balance platform, enhancing overall quality of life.
Balance Tracking Systems technology at Aura Functional Neurology Center provides the objective assessment needed to understand and treat the complex balance issues that accompany neurological conditions. Whether you’re dealing with POTS, post-concussion syndrome, migraine, or other neurological challenges, this advanced evaluation helps identify the root cause of your instability and guides effective treatment.
Example: Lack of proper visual integration: Balancing better with eyes closed than open:
Initial CTSIB Results
Challenges
1) Eyes Open, Firm Surface, Baseline Assessment – all systems active
2) Eyes Closed, Firm Surface, Removes Vision – tests somatosensory + vestibular
3) Eyes Open, Foam Surface, Disrupts Somatosensory – tests vision + vestibular
4) Eyes Closed, Foam Surface, Removes Vision and Disrupts Somatosensory – tests the vestibular system alone
Scenario 1: Global Postural Control Issue. Severe sensory-motor integration issue. Additional considerations: orthostatic intolerance.
Scenario 2: Poor joint position sense or proprioception. The patient may experience trouble walking in the dark, be unsteady on uneven ground, and have difficulty balancing on one leg, and needs to look at their limbs while moving. Treatment Recommendations: Assess joint position sense, cervical proprioception, peripheral neuropathy, or spine and pelvic instability. Rehabilitation may involve sensory retraining.
Scenario 3: May have vestibular dysfunction and visual vestibular mismatch. The patient may feel unsteady, even though they can see, and become dizzy or disoriented on soft surfaces, such as grass and sand, requiring them to focus visually when walking on unstable ground. Treatment Recommendations: Consider foam surface training and visual – vestibular integration exercises.
Scenario 4: Indicative of vestibular dysfunction. The patient is unable to maintain balance when the only accurate input is from the inner ear. It could reflect peripheral vestibular hypofunction, central vestibular pathway issues, or poor multisensory integration. Treatment Recommendations: Vestibular rehab is often warranted.