Balance & Hearing

Balance Center

Click here for pre-test instructions for Balance Center evaluation.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center's Balance Center is designed to evaluate and treat patients who suffer from dizziness (vertigo), unsteadiness, falls or motion intolerance. The Balance and Hearing Center at UTMC has treated more than 1,000 patients with dizziness or imbalance since it opened in March of 2003.

The Balance and Hearing Center offers a comprehensive approach to balance problems. The team includes Otolaryngology, physical therapy and audiology. Together, these three disciplines work to thoroughly evaluate patients using state-of-the-art equipment. After diagnosing the patient, a customized treatment plan is developed to reduce or alleviate the patient's symptoms.

Multidisciplinary Approach

The core team meets regularly to discuss each patient individually and make sure the proper diagnosis is made and an individual treatment plan is created.

State of the Art Diagnostic Testing

The basic test battery for balance patients includes videonystagmography (VNG) and a physical therapy examination with a qualified vestibular therapist. Additional testing can be performed depending on the patient’s needs including audiometric testing, platform posturography, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials, electrocochleography and auditory brainstem response testing.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy

Vestibular Rehabilitation is a specific type of physical therapy designed to address the unique problems of patients who suffer from vertigo, dizziness or a sense of imbalance. The physical therapists in the UT Balance Center have been specifically trained to diagnose and treat Vestibular disorders, as well as balance disorders.

Hearing Center

Audiology services dispense hearing aids to adult patients in need of amplification. Loss of hearing can lead to social isolation, depression and decrease in a person's quality of life. Today's hearing aids offer more potential benefit for patients than ever before and enable many patients to reconnect to the world around them. The Hearing Center offers a range of hearing aids to fit a patient's listening needs and financial constraints. We are happy to offer complete services to our patients with hearing loss.

For decades audiologists have wondered why some people benefit greatly from hearing aids and others simply cannot tolerate the devices. Recent studies have discovered that a listener’s ability to use hearing aids is closely linked to their ability to accept background noise. An audiological measure (Acceptable Noise Level) is now available that can predict a patient’s likelihood to reject hearing aids with 85 percent accuracy (Nabelek et al, 2006). Fortunately, the hearing aid industry has long been aware of the problems associated with background noise tolerance. Certain features available in today’s hearing aids may prove beneficial for those patients who are more likely to reject hearing aids due to noise tolerance problems. The Balance and Hearing Center has the ability to measure Acceptable Noise Levels giving us insight into which patients may need more counseling and specific features on hearing aids in order to be successful.

Additional Articles:

• Age-related hearing loss
• Hearing tests
• Hearing loss - infants

For more information, call 865.305.9569 or FAX 865.305.4769. Click here for the Balance and Hearing Center brochure.