WHEN AN OUT-OF-THE-BLUE BALANCE ISSUE CHANGED TERRI FLIPPIN’S SUMMER PLANS, SPECIALIZED PHYSICAL THERAPY AT WASHINGTON HEALTH SYSTEM OUTPATIENT REHABILITATION SERVICES HELPED HER GET BACK ON TRACK.
“I stayed in my house all last winter because of the pandemic and wasn’t active,” says Terri, a 66-year-old retiree from Chartiers Township. “I looked forward to spring and summer so I could play golf and pickleball and ride my bike.”
One day in May 2021, however, a sudden dizzy spell followed by severe vomiting scrambled Terri’s plans. At WHS Washington Hospital, a definitive diagnosis proved elusive— until Howard Goldberg, MD, Otolaryngologist at Washington Ear, Nose and Throat, joined the case.
“I diagnosed vestibular neuritis, which is a viral-induced malfunction of the inner ear,” Dr. Goldberg says. “The main symptom is severe dizziness. As a result, patients often have extreme nausea and vomiting, and they are unable to walk. That’s exactly the state Terri was in when she came to the hospital.”
Dr. Goldberg recommended that Terri visit WHS Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, located inside the WHS Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center building, for vestibular therapy.
FINDING FIRMER FOOTING
WHS Outpatient Rehabilitation Services Vestibular Physical Therapist April Eddy, DPT, guided Terri through vestibular therapy, a type of
physical therapy for individuals with balance disorders. Terri worked with Eddy three times per week for three weeks and completed
exercises at home.
“We did exercises to stabilize Terri’s gait, help her focus on objects and improve her balance,” Eddy says. “By the end of therapy, her ease of movement was much improved.”
Therapy did more than help eliminate Terri’s symptoms; it also gave her the confidence to return to her favorite activities. First up was golf, followed by pickleball and then, at the end of July, biking.
Now, she’s back to riding the Montour Trail. “When I got back on my bike, I smiled the whole time,” Terri says. “It was so nice to get moving again.”
Click here to learn more about out outpatient rehab services.