This year, September 13-19 is being recognized as Balance Awareness Week. Organized by the Vestibular Disorders Association, the goal of this campaign is to help spread awareness among both the general public and the medical community about vestibular disorders, which often affect balance and coordination. Such diseases are estimated to impact as many as 69 million people in the US alone.
About Vestibular Disorders
A vestibular disorder, or balance disorder, is any medical condition that affects coordination, balance and stability. Patients are generally affected by a loss of balance, a sense of wooziness, nausea, and feelings of floating, spinning, or other movement even when the patient is still. The body achieves balance through the activities of the vestibular system (inner ear), the vision system, and proprioception (the body’s ability to sense its position in a given space), so any impacts to these systems can potentially affect balance and stability. When severe, the symptoms of vestibular disorders can be very debilitating, causing serious disruptions to the patient’s ability to go about their day. Examples of vestibular disorders include vestibular migraine and Meniere’s disease.
How to Spread Awareness
This year’s event will coincide with the Virtual Vestibular Conference (September 14-18), which will provide a valuable opportunity for education for the vestibular disorders community. Click here to register for the conference. The theme for Balance Awareness Week this year is “Uncovering the Mystery.” This refers to the challenges that many patients face when trying to get diagnosed.
Want to get involved? There are many ways that participants can help spread awareness. Some examples include:
- Register your own fundraising campaign. Set your own fundraising goal that will go towards educating vestibular disorder patients.
- Download the Ambassador Toolkit, which is packed with awesome resources to make spreading awareness easy and effective.
- Follow the Vestibular Disorders Association on Instagram and Facebook.
- Post on your own social media about vestibular disorders during the week using the hashtags #Vestibular, #BalanceAwarenessWeek, and #LifeRebalanced
- You can also pick up some Vestibular Disorders Association merch. Check out the online store here.
- Don’t miss out on the Fiona Flamingo Photo Contest! Decorate your space with flamingos and then post on social media with the hashtag #FionaFlamingo. Click here for the full contest details.
Get involved and help spread critical awareness about vestibular disorders.
