Vestibular Rehabilitation is an effective and little known facet of what we as Physical Therapists do. It involves helping people who are dealing with inner ear and/or balance disorders improve their quality of life through physical therapy treatments or referring them to the appropriate medical professional if the symptom’s origins need other attention.
Vestibular issues can be scary, random, and poorly understood. Symptoms can include dizziness/vertigo, blurred vision with head movement, decreased balance, headaches/migraines, fogginess/decreased concentration, and associated fear/anxiety. Fear/anxiety can be particularly elevated due to a patient believing that a more significant and life threatening event is occurring. This is because these types of symptoms can come out of the blue and can be similar to what might happen in a cardiac event. Vestibular issues can begin for a number of reasons including aging, drug interactions, displaced crystals in the inner ear (BPPV), or even concussions.
Let’s start with Vertigo! Pardon the exclamation point! Oops, there I go again. Anyone who has dealt with an acute onset of Vertigo or BPPV knows this is nothing to be excited about. Vertigo can leave you feeling very dizzy, even nauseous, most of the time having that “room spinning” sensation. This can be triggered/worsened by laying down, rolling over in bed, or turning your head fast/changing position fast.
Why does this occur? We have crystals in our inner ears that help with balance. By chance, sometimes they end up displaced in a canal in your inner ear where they don’t belong. These canals are gravity sensors so the block causes a disruption between what your eyes and your inner ears perceive, hence the room spinning. Now for the good news. This can be an easy fix! You just need to know where to go.
Start with your local vestibular physical therapist at The Center. We just need to get the crystal out of the canal that it doesn’t belong. We can identify which canal it is in and do the proper maneuver to get it out. And unlike other orthopedic physical therapy treatment plans, the majority of your symptoms should resolve within 1-2 treatments. So don’t delay! Limit the fear and time of dealing with these symptoms and see us ASAP!
Other causes of vestibular symptoms can also be treated effectively in physical therapy. This occurs in a more traditional plan of 2-3 times per week + a home exercise program for 4-6 weeks (though this can vary). Using adaptation, habituation, and substitution techniques we retrain the inner ear/brain control that should happen automatically. Essentially we want to “Train your Brain” in order to enhance your ability to move your head quickly without dizziness, decrease disorientation in busy settings, and allow for proper balance strategies.
In closing, please don’t delay in addressing your vestibular issues and know your local physical therapist at The Center can be your best ally to help get you back on track, dizziness free!