Balance & Gait Disorder Treatment

Unexplained falls. A constant feeling of unsteadiness. The unsettling sensation that the room is spinning around you. Changes in the way you walk that are putting new stress on your knees, hips, and joints. Balance and gait disorders can disrupt nearly every aspect of daily life — and they rarely resolve without targeted intervention. At Fultz Physical Therapy & Joint Rehab, our physical therapists at our South Shreveport, North Shreveport, and South Bossier clinics specialize in identifying the root cause of your balance or gait problem and building a personalized treatment plan to get you steady, confident, and moving safely again.

What Are Balance & Gait Disorders?

Balance and gait disorders are functional conditions that interfere with your ability to maintain an upright posture, sense your position in space, and move in a normal, controlled manner.

A balance disorder can make you feel as though everything around you is spinning, or that you’re on the verge of falling — even when you’re sitting or lying still. A gait disorder is any condition that causes you to walk or run in an abnormal or unstable pattern. The two are closely linked: balance disorders frequently contribute to gait problems, and gait disorders are responsible for up to 17% of falls in older adults — a statistic with serious consequences for independence and quality of life.

What Causes Balance & Gait Disorders?

Balance and gait problems can stem from a wide range of musculoskeletal and vestibular sources:

• Vestibular Dysfunction – The vestibular system, a network of fluid-filled chambers and sensory nerves in the inner ear, governs your sense of position and spatial orientation. Disruption to this system is one of the most common causes of balance disorders
• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) – A common vestibular condition in which calcium debris displaced in the inner ear causes episodes of dizziness and balance disturbance with changes in head position
• Muscle Weakness and Deconditioning – Weakness in the legs, hips, and core can make it difficult to maintain stability and move safely, particularly as we age or following a period of reduced activity
• Arthritis and Joint Pain – Chronic joint pain in the hips, knees, or feet alters the way you load and move through each step, creating gait compensations that increase fall risk and accelerate joint wear
• Musculoskeletal Imbalances – Abnormal foot arches, plantar fasciitis, and uneven muscle development that favors one side of the body can all alter gait mechanics and create downstream stress on the joints
• Post-Surgical or Post-Injury Deconditioning – Scar tissue, strength loss, and residual mobility restrictions following surgery or an incompletely healed injury can subtly distort movement patterns over time, often producing compensatory pain in other joints
• Age-Related Changes – Reduced proprioception, muscle mass, and joint mobility are common contributors to balance and gait changes in older adults — all of which respond well to physical therapy

How Physical Therapy Treats Balance & Gait Disorders

Effective treatment starts with a thorough evaluation. At Fultz Physical Therapy & Joint Rehab, your physical therapist will assess your stance, gait pattern, balance, range of motion, strength, and medical history — including any symptoms of dizziness or discomfort — before designing a customized treatment plan.

Whether you’re being seen at our South Shreveport, North Shreveport, or South Bossier clinic, your program may include:

• Gait retraining exercises – A faulty gait can often be corrected through retraining. The Arthritis Foundation cites a study in which participants with gait problems due to osteoarthritis successfully altered their gait through treadmill exercises.
• Vestibular rehabilitation training – This form of physical therapy can help you reconcile your vestibular system, vision, nerves, and muscles for improved balance. Special exercises can even help stabilize floating debris in the inner ear.
• Strengthening exercises – By building up the muscles that govern your gait and balance, we can help you maintain your equilibrium and make yourself less injury-prone.
• Stretches – Exercises that improve your flexibility and range of motion give you more control and enable quicker reactions to shifts in balance.

Regain Your Stability and Confidence

Balance and gait disorders are highly treatable — and physical therapy is one of the most effective tools available. The team at Fultz Physical Therapy & Joint Rehab is ready to help you move safely and confidently again, with locations in South Shreveport, North Shreveport, and South Bossier, LA serving patients throughout the Shreveport-Bossier community.

Contact us today to request your appointment and take the first step toward steadier ground.