When hearing or balance issues affect your daily life, our expert audiologists can help. We provide specialized testing and treatments for hearing loss, vestibular (balance) disorders and related conditions in Columbia and Jefferson City.

Hearing and balance issues can make it harder to connect, move comfortably and feel like yourself. At MU Health Care, our nationally certified, state-licensed audiologists offer advanced testing and personalized treatment to help you hear clearly and feel steady.

Our Approach to Audiology

At MU Health Care, we look beyond a single symptom to understand how hearing or balance issues affect your daily life. Rather than focusing only on hearing aids, we treat hearing and balance issues with a more complete approach.

Hearing loss and balance disorders are often chronic conditions, so our goal is to create a long-term plan to improve your communication, stability and overall quality of life.

In addition to leading-edge care for hearing loss and vestibular disorders, we also provide access to other specialists when needed. Because we’re part of an academic health system, we routinely collaborate with multiple experts on your care, including:

How to See an Audiologist at MU Health Care

If you’re concerned about your hearing or balance, or want a second opinion, you can contact our team directly. We see patients in Columbia and Jefferson City, and no physician referral is needed.

Our pediatric audiology team in Columbia also provides kid-focused audiology care for children of all ages, including newborns.

Conditions We Treat

We care for a wide range of hearing and balance conditions, including:

  • Ear infections (otitis media)
  • Fluid in the ear (effusion)
  • Hearing loss
  • Meniere’s disease
  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

Audiology Tests and Treatments

We offer the region’s most extensive range of services to diagnose and treat hearing and balance disorders.

Advanced Hearing and Balance Testing

At MU Health Care, we use all the latest tools and technology to assess your hearing and balance, including:

  • Behavioral assessments: Evaluate your responses to a set of instructions.
  • Objective hearing assessments: Test your middle ear and cochlear function to analyze how your auditory system works.
  • Auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing: A noninvasive way to measure brain activity in response to sound.
  • Vestibular evaluations: Involve several noninvasive tests to analyze your balance.

Based on your results, we’ll personalize your treatment plan to meet your specific needs and goals.

Expert Hearing Aid Fittings

We provide personalized hearing aid fittings, so you can get the most from your device. Our audiologists will help you adjust to your hearing aids and show you how to take care of them. Whenever you need follow-up adjustments, training or support, we’re available to assist you and your family.

Cochlear Implants for Adults

Cochlear implants may be an option if hearing aids are not effective for your hearing loss. We offer all FDA-approved cochlear implants and can recommend the best implant for you. From your initial assessment to surgery to rehabilitation, our experienced team can help you throughout your treatment journey.

We also offer other innovative surgical implants, including bone-anchored hearing prostheses and middle ear implants.

Monitoring Hearing During Medical Treatment

Certain ototoxic medications for cancer, lung diseases, eye diseases and other conditions may impact your hearing. Our audiologists can carefully monitor your hearing over time while you receive treatment for another condition, so your physician can adjust medications if needed.

Care for Vestibular (Balance) Disorders

We provide advanced testing and treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, vestibular migraine and other vestibular disorders. Our team uses the latest technologies, including an innovative treatment using virtual reality called Virtualis, to determine what visual and physical surroundings affect your balance

Custom Earplugs

Our audiologists can create personalized earplugs for musicians, swimmers and others who need to protect their ears or hearing.