Why you need a Functional Neurological assessment! Humans devote a large area of their brain to processing information received by the eyes. Part of this information never reaches a conscious level but instead helps mediate balance by providing information to balance centers of the brainstem (including information about the speed at which we are moving, our distance to objects and what is horizontal and up or down. This visual information integrates into an area called your superior colliculus which develops into maps that integrate into your parietal lobe and allows you to know where you are in space. I ask myself this question about every patient I examine, do they reflexively know where they are? Weakness of our eyes, fatigue, poor muscle control of how our eyes move can create a mismatch, where our balance centers are in disagreement(this is what we call a sensory mismatch and is a common cause for motion sickness, muscles spasm, tremors and other movements disorders. This can also lead to changes in spinal intrinsic muscle stability and movements leading to chronic neck pain and instability as well as headaches. Everyone has experienced a mismatch of sensory information at some point and a good example of this is while sitting on a train at the station and another train moves past. You get the distinct feeling of movement until you realize that you are still and it is the surrounding environment that is moving. The frequency of these events can be an indication of how well the ocular system is matched to balance centers as better integrated systems will be less effected. If you experience imbalance, dizziness, motion sensation it would be beneficial to have all of these reflexes examined in our office. Occulospinal reflexes are reflexes that use information from the eyes to setup spinal postures to aid movement in the environment. If there is a mismatch or weakness of the eyes it is possible to get injuries, poor posture and increased problems including but not limited to motion sickness but also what chiropractors call subluxations of the spine. The vestibular system located in your inner ear. The vestibular system is our major determinant for balance providing information on horizontal, and how we are accelerating in relation to the horizontal. The vestibular system integrates with information from the eyes (visual information) and body (proprioceptive information) to determine postures, reflex actions and control movements. It does this by having vestibulo-ocular and vestibulo-spinal reflexes. These are reflexive pathways, for example turn your head to the R and your eyes will shift to the left. Tilt your head back and you eyes go down. These reflexes need to be working properly and if they are not they can lead to things like chronic neck pain and stiffness and endless trips to manual therapists. It was long thought that a problem with the vestibular system is unchangeable or that it might just get better with time, however evidence suggests that certain head movements will stimulate individual canals providing therapeutic input for weakness in certain aspects of the vestibular system. Moving the eyes in specific planes, directions, and speeds can provide therapeutic benefit as well. At Minnesota Functional Neurology and Chiropractic LLC we perform a detailed examination with all these systems in mind and develop a program that is specific for you. Most of the therapy can eventually be done at home after we get you in balance. Therapy consists of spinal stability exercises, balance exercise, eye exercises, rotational chair therapy, manual therapy, variable resistance therapy, and other exercises specific to the individual. If you would like to have an evaluation please contact our office at 612 223 8590 minnesotafunctionalneurology
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 20:49:07 +0000
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