BLOG: Can resetting the brain to recognize gravity benefit vision therapy?

Mar 16, 2023

Noel is co-owner and co-founder of NeurdSolutions in Roswell, Georgia.

Noel is co-owner and co-founder of NeurdSolutions in Roswell, Georgia.

Gravity is fundamental — it holds our feet to the Earth. But our perception of gravity is more malleable.

It is controlled by the always-on vestibular system of the inner ear and provides the brain a way to both interpret and adjust other sensory signals

For example, if you tilt your head in one direction, the eyes automatically move in the opposite direction. The gravity-sensing vestibular system is powerfully integrated, in fact, with both the visual and somatosensory systems. All three work together to provide awareness of where you are in space, how you are moving through your environment and where other objects are in relation to you.

When these systems are slightly out of sync, posture, movement, stability and balance can begin to feel just a little "off." When they are significantly out of sync — due to a brain injury, for example — people start to have more debilitating functional problems, such as dizziness, light sensitivity, brain fog and exhaustion. Muscular compensations are also common when these systems are out of balance and can lead to neck pain, gait problems and eye movement or tracking issues that are commonly seen after concussion or other types of brain injury.

The most profound lesson of my career as a functional or chiropractic neurologist has been discovering that changing how a patient perceives gravity can greatly enhance the likelihood of creating lasting change in other areas.

I developed a method called the Gravity Reset Method (GRM) that utilizes feedback from the vestibular, visual and somatosensory systems at the same time. We have the patient move in a particular pattern — that's the vestibular stimulation — while maintaining visual fixation on a target. Throughout the exercise, the patient receives sensory feedback from a compressive weighted headband and visual feedback from glasses with a built-in laser pointer. This simple approach helps patients reintegrate and recalibrate these three systems that have become out of sync, providing a more accurate perception of location and motion.

Will a gravity-reset fully correct strabismus, convergence dominance or insufficiency? Of course not. But it can make vision therapy for those conditions faster and more effective because the vestibular system is no longer working against the patient. Instead, we can leverage the vestibular system to improve eye movement control and binocular vision. The effects of even a short course of GRM therapy can be rapid and long-lasting.

It is incredibly rewarding to see how quickly patients can make progress and improve their performance when we incorporate the brain and other senses into vestibular rehabilitation.

Cedrick Noel, DC, BCN, DACNB, FABCDD, is co-owner and co-founder of NeurdSolutions, a company that provides clinical tools and education to clinicians involved with neuro rehabilitation. He has been in active practice since 2002 and specializes in chiropractic neurology. In 2022 he co-founded a multidisciplinary clinic in Roswell, Georgia, called Brain & Body Rehabilitation Specialists. Noel will be teaching a course on the GRM at the 2023 NORA conference on Brain-Based Rehabilitation. For more information and to register, visit https://noravisionrehab.org/about-nora/annual-conferences/2023-annual-conference.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association unless otherwise noted. This blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the professional medical advice of a physician. NORA does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products or procedures. For more on our website and online content, click here [link to: noravisionrehab.org].