Vestibular & Balance DisordersVestibular & Balance Care in Lafayette, Indiana
What can help with my dizziness & balance?
We diagnose and treat dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders using advanced vestibular and balance testing, including VNG and VEMP.
Your care is led by Dr. Sandy Bratton, who identifies the root cause of your symptoms and creates a personalized treatment plan to restore balance and stability.
“I finally got a confirmation that I had crystals in my right ear after four years of dizziness…”
Vestibular Function Testing Available at HearBest
Finding the cause of dizziness, vertigo or imbalance starts with the right tests. Our Vestibular & Balance Clinic offers three of the most important, so your treatment targets the real cause.
VideonystagmogramInner ear or brain?
The VNG determines if an inner ear or brain-related disease may be causing dizziness, vertigo or imbalance. You wear infrared video goggles that record your eye movements, and because the vestibular system controls your balance, your eye movements show how it’s working.
The test has three parts
- Measuring slow and quick eye movements
- Monitoring eye movements while you lie in different positions
- Blowing cool and warm air into each ear, to see whether the balance mechanism of each ear responds normally and equally
Throughout the VNG, your eyes are continuously monitored and recorded to find abnormal eye movements that may signal a vestibular system problem.
Vestibular Evoked Myogenic PotentialIs the saccule working?
The VEMP test determines whether the saccule (one part of the inner ear), the inferior division of the vestibular nerve and their central connections are intact and working normally.
What to expect
You relax in a recliner while small electrodes are placed on each side of your neck, on your forehead and at the top of your chest. Earphones play pulsed tones. The presence or absence of a small contraction in the muscles on the sides of your neck shows whether these parts of the vestibular system are working correctly.
Rotary Chair TestingCan your eyes keep up?
The Rotary Chair assesses the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) through the horizontal semicircular canal and the superior division of the vestibular nerve. The VOR keeps objects clear while your head moves; it’s what lets you read street signs while walking down a sidewalk. We take it for granted until it doesn’t work properly.
What to expect
You sit in a darkened room wearing goggles while the chair slowly turns at different speeds, and your eye movements are measured.
Testing finds the cause. Then we treat it.
We don’t stop at a diagnosis. Dr. Sandy Bratton, AuD, our vestibular and balance specialist, treats BPPV, the most common cause of vertigo, right here at the clinic, and coordinates the next step when you need other care.
- Canalith repositioningIn-office treatment for BPPV, the most common cause of vertigo
- Balance testingVNG, VEMP and Rotary Chair testing to pinpoint the cause
- Vestibular rehab referralsWhen exercises would help, we recommend vestibular rehabilitation with a physical therapist
- Former BalanceMD patientsContinuing care, picking up where you left off
Balance care in Indiana
Please get in touch if you have any questions about our balance care. Our Vestibular & Balance Clinic is at the Lafayette – South Hearing & Balance Clinic.
Want to know who you’ll see? Meet Dr. Sandy Bratton, our balance expert.
- Phone(765) 888-3277
- Balance specialistDr. Sandy Bratton, AuD
Vestibular & Balance Specialist · Doctor of AudiologyDr. Sandy Bratton, AuD Clarity. Confidence. Connection.™
Dr. Sandy Bratton is the balance and vestibular doctor at HearBest Lafayette South. She diagnoses and treats dizziness, vertigo, balance disorders and other inner ear conditions, using VNG, VEMP and Rotary Chair testing to find the cause and canalith repositioning to treat BPPV right in the office. When balance exercises would help, she recommends vestibular rehabilitation with a physical therapist. She also provides hearing tests at our IU Health Arnett office.
She previously served as Department Manager of Audiology at Clarian-Arnett Health, and in 2008 brought her 18+ years of experience to private practice alongside Dr. Scott Sanders at BalanceMD.
Clarity. Confidence. Connection.™
Dr. Sandy Bratton is the balance and vestibular doctor at HearBest Lafayette South. She diagnoses and treats dizziness, vertigo, balance disorders and other inner ear conditions, using VNG, VEMP and Rotary Chair testing to find the cause and canalith repositioning to treat BPPV right in the office. When balance exercises would help, she recommends vestibular rehabilitation with a physical therapist. She also provides hearing tests at our IU Health Arnett office.
She previously served as Department Manager of Audiology at Clarian-Arnett Health, and in 2008 brought her 18+ years of experience to private practice alongside Dr. Scott Sanders at BalanceMD.
“I finally got a confirmation that I had crystals in my right ear after four years of dizziness…”