During your first visit you can expect the following:

• Arrive at your appointment with your paperwork completed (you can download it from our website – see the paperwork or forms link).
• You will provide us with your prescription for physical therapy.
• We will copy your insurance card.
• You will be seen for the initial evaluation by the therapist.
• The therapist will discuss the following:
  • Your medical history.
  • Your current problems/complaints.
  • What aggravates and eases the problem.
  • How this is impacting your daily activities or your functional limitations.
  • Your goals for the visit.
  • Medications, tests, and procedures related to your health.

The audiologist will then perform the comprehensive audiological evaluation, which may include some of the following:

• VNG – When a person is dizzy, the eyes generally move uncontrollably. VNG helps isolate the source of a person’s dizziness by measuring eye movements, both those that are voluntary and those that result from intentionally inducing dizziness. Analyzing the eye movements helps the audiologist isolate possible causes for dizziness. There are three main groups of sub-tests included in ENG testing: ocular mobility testing, positional and positioning testing, and caloric testing.
• VOR – Through use of active head rotation we measure gain, the amount of eye movement relative to head movement: phase, the reaction time of the eyes in response to head movement: and symmetry, the gain to rightward movement vs. the gain to leftward movement during sinusoidal head movement. Active head rotation tests more real-life frequencies of head movement than does rotational chair testing.
• Audiometry – Measures hearing acuity and speech discrimination.
• Tympanometry – Measures the status of the middle ear.
• Acoustic Reflexes – Measures the status of the reflex arc and uses this information to determine possible site of lesion.

The results from all of these tests are examined together to help determine a possible cause of the person’s problem, as well as to design a customized treatment plan.

Make sure you bring your referral (provided to you by your doctor) and your payment information. If your insurance is covering the cost of your visit, bring your insurance card.

If you are covered by Workers’ Compensation, bring your claim number and your case manager’s contact information. If you are covered by auto insurance or an attorney lien, make sure you bring this information.

If your are coming in for a hearing evaluation it is recommended that you bring a family member with you to the evaluation appointment. Hearing loss is a family issue. It helps to have another supportive person at the appointment to help you understand the information and recommendations.

If you are coming in for a balance evaluation or balance therapy you should wear loose fitting clothing so you can perform the tasks comfortably.

Most hearing loss occurs when people age. However, it can result from over-exposure to noise, infections, trauma, congenital or hereditary factors, medications or other causes. About 90% of all cases of hearing loss can be corrected with hearing instruments. There are over 30 million Americans with some type of hearing loss. Hearing is an integral part of the human experience and when it is diminished, it affects all aspects of that experience. If you are uncertain whether or not you may have a hearing loss, we invite you to take our 5-Minute Speech Understanding Test. It may help you decide whether or not you need to take additional steps necessary for amplification.

Warning Signs of Hearing Loss

• Difficulty understanding conversation, especially in background noise
• Finding that people are mumbling or slurring their words
• Trouble comprehending certain sounds or pitches
• Continually asking people to repeat themselves
• Mistaking sounds of words such as: “dime”, “time”, “make”, “take”
• Preferring the TV or radio louder than others
• Straining to hear on the telephone
• Reading people’s lips
• Avoiding conversations or interactions with others because it is too difficult to hear and understand
• Nodding or agreeing with others during conversations while uncertain of the topic

If you notice any of these symptoms, you should have your balance evaluated. Do You…

• Experience a feeling of motion with certain movements such as quick head turns or getting out of bed?
• Have difficulty getting around in the dark?
• Feel uneasy walking down an aisle in the store or walking in a shopping mall?
• Sometimes feel like you have no control of your feet?
• Feel unsteady or need to touch something while walking?
• Have a fear of falling?
• Feel uneasy looking out of the window of a moving car?
• Have trouble walking from one surface to another, such as tile to carpet?
• Feel as though your are swaying or leaning toward one direction while you are walking?
• Feel like no one understands how upsetting this is?

Persistent dizziness and balance problems are more than a nuisance, they can lead to falls and other serious injuries. If you have signs of an inner ear problem, don’t settle for medicating the symptoms. Schedule a dizziness and balance evaluation now. Contact Millburn Audiology & Balance (973) 564-8890