A new independent analysis by the Institute of Health Economics (IHE) finds that vestibular dysfunction and balance impairment impose a substantial clinical and economic burden, driven by high prevalence, substantial healthcare costs, and limited effectiveness of current diagnostic and management approaches. 

The executive report, Economic Burden of Vestibular Dysfunction, quantifies the economic and quality-of-life impact of vestibular-related balance disorders and elevated fall risks and evaluates the potential value of innovations designed to improve early diagnosis and preventive management. While the analysis was conducted from a Canadian public payer perspective, the findings are highly relevant to U.S. and other healthcare markets given similar care pathways, cost drivers, and demographic trends, especially in aging populations.

Key findings indicate that:

• Vestibular dysfunction and balance impairment impose a substantial and largely underrecognized burden on healthcare systems, along with substantial losses in health-related quality of life for patients of all ages and increased caregiver burden.
• Many medical conditions can lead to vestibular impairment. It is highly prevalent among older adults who fall and imposes a multibillion-dollar annual burden on healthcare systems, driven by hospitalizations, emergency visits, long lengths of stay, more frequent re-admissions, and long-term loss of independence.
• Current approaches to balance diagnostics are not well suited for scalable preventive care—they are fragmented, reactive, and often rely on subjective assessments or expensive technologies that few patients have access to. As a result, many patients experience delayed diagnosis, preventable falls, and avoidable strain on healthcare systems.
• Current interventions such as vestibular rehabilitation therapy, medications, assistive devices, and passive fall detection systems focus on compensating for vestibular loss, not restoring function.
• Innovations that enable early, objective diagnosis and effective management could generate at least ~$10,000 in lifetime economic and health value per patient, even under conservative assumptions. Economic gains up to $65,000–$85,000 per person over a lifetime may be achievable with significant restoration of vestibular function or reduction of fall risk.

“These findings point to a misalignment between the scale of the unmet need and the tools currently available to address it,” said Sasha van Katwyk, Senior Health Economist at IHE. “Our analysis suggests there is substantial opportunity for innovations that support earlier detection and more effective management, particularly in aging populations. If these innovations achieve their expected clinical effectiveness, the potential economic benefits could be significant.”

The report highlights how innovations such as those developed by Neursantys could help shift care from late-stage compensatory treatment to proactive, restorative intervention through proactive screening, objective diagnostics, and non-invasive bioelectronic therapy. According to the analysis, a combined early diagnosis and restorative treatment pathway can unlock significant patient-centered and system-level benefits. Balance decline contributes to fear of falling, activity restriction, and progressive deconditioning, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of functional loss. Detecting impairment before this cascade becomes entrenched allows clinicians to intervene when adaptive capacity and neuroplastic potential remain relatively preserved.

“This independent analysis validates what patients and clinicians see every day—that balance disorders are common, costly, and too often addressed too late,” said John Ralston, Neursantys CEO. “The economic value identified in this study falls well within acceptable willingness-to-pay thresholds and is comparable to established restorative interventions that reduce disability and long-term care needs, such as hip and knee joint replacement surgeries and advanced heart failure care.”

The extraordinarily high prevalence of age-related vestibular impairment—55% of adults over the age of 50—magnifies the total system impact, making it one of the largest untapped opportunities in preventive and restorative care. Neursantys is collaborating with clinical, senior living, and home care partners in Canada and the U.S. to confirm the clinical effectiveness of the Neursantys sensory neuromodulation platform and broaden the evidence of its cost-effectiveness in multiple care settings. In addition to age-related decline, Neursantys partners are also investigating promising applications to other conditions in which vestibular dysfunction has been implicated, including neuromotor diseases, trauma-related dysfunction, and impaired pediatric development.  The scope of these deployments demonstrates that vestibular dysfunction represents a large underserved market where innovative solutions can deliver measurable returns for patients, providers, and payers. 

About the Institute of Health Economics (IHE)
The Institute of Health Economics is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to informing evidence-guided health policy and practice through health economics research, health technology assessment, and knowledge exchange. To learn more visit https://ihe.ca.

About Neursantys
Neursantys is a health technology innovator leveraging patented breakthroughs in non-invasive sensory neuromodulation to deliver a scalable bioelectronic platform for the treatment of diverse neurological conditions, trauma-related dysfunction, and age-related decline. To learn more visit https://neursantys.com.