Advances in Balance Diagnosis and Treatment: Part 1
Presented by Andrea E. Ecsedy
This course provides a streamlined clinical framework for physical therapists to evaluate and diagnose individuals with balance dysfunction using current evidence-based movement system diagnoses. Clinicians often struggle to balance high productivity standards with integrating complex evidence into daily practice. By focusing on the “bread and butter” of geriatric and neurological care—the community-dwelling or subacute resident at risk for falls—this program introduces a palatable, one-hour evaluation strategy. Participants will learn to move beyond generic “bad balance” labels and instead identify specific impairments across musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and behavioral domains. Using primary and secondary gateway measures, such as gait speed and the Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB), clinicians will gain the tools to develop patient-specific treatment plans that address the true underlying determinants of postural instability.
Learning Outcomes
- Evaluate patients with balance dysfunction using evidence-based tests and measures to develop a specific therapy diagnosis
- Determine fall risk in patients by utilizing gateway measures for balance dysfunction
- Interpret assessment findings to identify underlying determinants for balance dysfunction
- Formulate a balance diagnosis for people with balance dysfunction to guide interventions for improved functional mobility
Meet your instructor
Andrea E. Ecsedy
Andrea Ecsedy is a board-certified specialist in neurologic physical therapy with over 40 years of clinical experience. Her clinical focus includes balance and vestibular dysfunction, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurologic diseases. She has taught as adjunct faculty in several university physical therapy programs…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Practical Balance Assessment and Diagnosis
This chapter introduces a practical framework for categorizing balance deficits into three primary postural control strategies: steady state, anticipatory, and reactive. Participants will explore the movement system diagnosis model to better understand how musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, and cognitive determinants contribute to a patient’s overall fall risk.
2. Gateway Measures for Balance Dysfunction
Clinicians will learn to utilize gait speed as the “functional vital sign” and primary gateway measure to triage patients efficiently. The session also details the administration and interpretation of the Modified Clinical Test for Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) to differentiate between sensory processing and sensory integrity issues.
3. Developing a Balance Diagnosis
The final chapter demonstrates how to synthesize objective data into a specific, multifactorial balance diagnosis and comprehensive treatment plan. A methodical evaluation template is provided to ensure that frequently overlooked areas, such as ankle range of motion and vestibular agnosia, are addressed within a standard one-hour assessment.
4. Additional Demonstration Examples
In this chapter, we’ll include additional demonstration examples for balance assessment.
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