Weeks 1–2
Pain
Settle the spinning first.
Vestibular retraining, balance re-education and hands-on work calm the dizziness and joint pain that make moving feel unsafe, so the rest of the plan is possible.
What We Treat
Balance and gait treatment in Richardson.
The hallway you now walk with one hand on the wall. The turn that leaves the room moving after you’ve stopped. Balance is trainable, and it starts with a cause-first evaluation of the systems that hold you up.
Sound Familiar?
Does this sound like you?
- Freezing mid-step because you’re not sure the next one will hold
- Turning to reach a high cabinet and feeling the room keep turning
- Planning your route through your own house by what you can hold onto
- Taking the stairs one at a time, both feet on every step, both hands on the rail
- Steps that got shorter and more shuffling without you ever deciding to change them
- Turning down dinner out because of the parking lot, the curb and the crowd
Two or more? Keep reading.
Why It Happens
Unsteady is a symptom. Something causes it.
Staying upright is a team effort. Your inner ear reports which way is up, your eyes confirm it, the sensors in your feet and joints fill in the details, and your brain blends the three and tells your muscles what to do about it. Knock out any one input and the whole system gets shaky. That is why dizziness and unsteady walking trace back to so many different places: inner ear disorders, neuropathy that mutes the feedback from your feet, muscle weakness, vision changes, medication side effects, or a neurological condition like Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis or a traumatic brain injury.
Guessing at which one is expensive, so we test instead. A cause-first evaluation looks at gait analysis for step length, walking speed, symmetry and balance reactions, strength testing, range of motion, whether a cane or walker would actually help you, and a review of medications that can make a room spin. That baseline is also how we prove you are improving later.
The Honest Truth
Balance doesn’t hold still while you wait.
If you keep waiting
- Fear of falling makes you move less, and moving less takes away the strength holding you up
- Your world shrinks one errand at a time: the stairs, then the yard, then the invitations
- The next stumble finds you with slower reactions and less strength to catch it
If you start this week
- Your walking gets measured, not guessed at: step length, speed, symmetry, balance reactions
- If the dizziness is coming from your inner ear, two Certified Vestibular Specialists are on staff
- You get a plan with an endpoint, rehearsed on the curbs, rugs and stairs you actually use
You spent decades being the steady one for everybody else. Asking for help with your own balance isn’t giving up your independence. It’s how you keep it.
How We Fix It
The same four phases. Built for steady feet.
Every plan has an endpoint. Here’s what Pain, Prime, Perform and Prevent look like for balance and gait, one-on-one with a licensed physical therapist, every visit.
Weeks 2–6
Prime
Rebuild the parts that quit contributing.
Ankle stability, knee control, hip strength and the range of motion you lost, because balance reactions can only be as good as the legs carrying them out.
Weeks 6–10
Perform
Retrain the walking itself.
Gait stabilization drills for step length and coordination, supported by parallel bars or a gait belt, plus endurance work so longer walking stays safe walking.
Weeks 10+
Prevent
Make it hold in the real world.
Reactive balance drills, curbs, uneven ground, carrying groceries, the right walking aid fitted properly, and a home program you keep. That’s the endpoint.
5.0 average across 150+ Google reviews
Voted Best of Richardson 2026 for physical therapy
Balance and gait disorders
Richardson, TX
Questions, Answered
What people ask before booking for balance problems.
It might be, and that is worth testing instead of guessing. Dizziness with head turns often points to the vestibular system in your inner ear, but neck dysfunction, vision changes, medications and neuropathy can all produce the same feeling. Lara McCrary, PT, MPT and Dr. Laura Plummer, PT, DPT are both Certified Vestibular and Vertigo Specialists, so that testing happens right here, and the evaluation tells us which system is actually misreporting.
No. A walking aid is a tool, not a verdict. Part of the evaluation is checking whether the one you have is the right height, the right type, and actually helping your walking rather than quietly changing it for the worse. Then we work on the strength, mobility and balance reactions underneath it. Some people move to lighter support, some keep the device and get far more confident using it. Both count as winning.
No. We run a concierge mobile clinic and a mobile outpatient program for aging adults, so treatment can happen at home, on the actual stairs, rugs and thresholds that give you trouble. Our published service area covers Richardson, North Dallas, Dallas proper, Park Cities, Preston Hollow, Lakewood and East Dallas, Lake Highlands and Garland. Call us at (972) 526-5693 and we will work out which option fits you.
Book Your Visit
Ready when you are.
Request a time and a real person calls you back during business hours. No phone tree. No ‘someone will reach out.’ Just a plan.
- Hours Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm
- (972) 526-5693 Prefer to talk now? Call us.
- No referral needed to start
5.0 · 150+ Google reviews
A real person calls you back
Step 1 of 5
Request sent.
That’s the hard part done. We’ll call during business hours to lock in your time. If you’d rather not wait for the call, the number below reaches the clinic directly.
Visit Us
Care this good, this close.
On Point Movement & Performance
- 445 Walnut St. STE 109, Richardson, TX 75081 (opens in a new tab)
- (972) 526-5693
- Fax: (469) 784-9424
- info@onpointmvp.com
- Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm