Abstract
A 91-year-old patient with symptoms of neck pain and dizziness was seen for physical therapy treatment for nine sessions in at an outpatient physical therapy clinic. Treatment was provided by a student physical therapist under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist. The patient was evaluated at the initial encounter with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Dizziness Handicap Inventory, the Dynamic Gait Index, and positional testing for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. The main goals for the patient were to decrease her complaints of dizziness, increase her static and dynamic balance, and decrease her neck pain. Main interventions used were canalith repositioning maneuvers, balance training, soft tissue massage, stretching, and postural re-education. The patient’s static and dynamic balance improved, as did cervical postural alignment, and pain decreased. She had decreased dizziness with head movements, however continued to report dizziness when moving from supine to sit which was likely due to orthostatic hypotension. The patient was discharged to continue living in her assisted living facility with a home exercise program.