A
HELP FOR VESTIBULAR ISSUES
LifeStyleRx o ers all
kinds of classes, exercise
equipment and personal
training for people of all
ages. To get started, call
925 454 6342
or visit
Linda and Phillip Garbutt
Balancing
Act
L
inda Garbutt, 66, of Castro Valley, had an “ah-ha”
moment after she fell into the bushes leaving her
friend’s house last year. “I had experienced a few
balance problems after falling at an airport and breaking
my left shoulder in 2009 and never seemed to completely
recover from the fall,” she explains. She also started to
notice a sense of dizziness when she turned her head
quickly. “It wasn’t until I fell into my friend’s bushes after
turning quickly to look at her dog in the window that it
began to dawn on me that I might have vestibular issues.”
THE BRAIN EYE CONNECTION
Garbutt was somewhat familiar with balance issues,
having su ered from severe motion sickness all of her
life. She also knew about the bene ts of vestibular/
physical therapy and the brain/eye connection. Having
been a special education teacher in Livermore for
10 years, she noted that the learning-challenged kids
performed much better in class after their physical
therapy sessions.
Garbutt was referred to a vestibular specialist, where
she was diagnosed with inner-ear problems and physical/
vestibular therapy was recommended. She also learned
that the nerve conductors between the brain and eye are
a ected by motion sickness and can deteriorate with age.
Last spring, before she was able to start physical
therapy, Garbutt fell again and broke her right shoulder.
“I would never know I was falling at the time, but would
suddenly nd myself on the ground,” Garbutt says. “It’s a
very strange sensation.”
HELP FROMVALLEYCARE
Garbutt started physical therapy for her right shoulder and
learned through her therapist about the Vestibular Rehab
Program at ValleyCare. She also learned about the “Better
Balance—Free of Falls” class conducted by ValleyCare
Physical Medicine Services and signed up for both.
Garbutt explains that during her rst session, she was
doing head turning/
spotting exercises and
became nauseous
within 30 seconds. By the time
she came for her second session, she was able to last four
minutes before getting dizzy. “Shelby McGinnis is a miracle
worker,” says Garbutt. (McGinnis is a physical therapist who
is also certi ed in vestibular rehabilitation and directs the
Vestibular Rehab Program.) “It’s amazing how quickly you
see the results of the exercises and training.”
SIGNING UP AT LIFESTYLERX
As a result of the class and rehab sessions, Garbutt
and her husband, Phillip, have joined LifeStyleRx, and
Garbutt works out with a certi ed trainer twice a week.
“It frightened me when I became housebound at my
age, plus I was feeling so much better after my therapy
sessions,” she says. “In addition to retraining my eye
movement to prevent dizziness and learning how to
prevent falls, vestibular rehab and the balance classes also
taught me the importance of exercise and core/muscle
strengthening. Both my husband and I think LifeStyleRx
gives us the opportunity to stay strong and be healthy in a
safe and supportive environment.”
2
| Spring 2014
