Feelings of dizziness can significantly interfere with your life and limit you from doing many of your normal activities. Many people are unaware of Vestibular Physiotherapy, and how it can help treat dizziness, sometimes immediately! Currently, most people when experiencing dizziness will go to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, one study showed only 8% of individuals received effective treatment in this route. In this blog, we will discuss Vestibular Physiotherapy, a lesser known specialty of Physiotherapy.
Vestibular System and Dizziness
Our vestibular systems, composed of the inner ear and the brain, are responsible for our awareness of head and eye movements and positions. If there is a mismatch between the sensory information and how it gets integrated into the brain, feelings of dizziness and vertigo (feeling like the room is spinning around you) may occur.
What is causing the dizziness?
Dizziness is a symptom of many different conditions. It is always worth going to see a medical professional to rule out more serious causes of dizziness such as stroke and other cardiovascular or neurological conditions. Fortunately, an easily treatable condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of dizziness. In other cases, there may be a dysfunction of the system, especially with aging. Luckily, Vestibular Physiotherapists are experts at assessing and treating all kinds of vestibular disorders.
Vestibular Physiotherapy
This is a specialty of physiotherapy that is specifically focused on vestibular system rehabilitation to treat dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems. Depending on the cause of your dizziness, different strategies and treatments may be employed. For example, depending on your specific impairments:
- Positioning maneuvers: If the condition is BPPV, certain procedures like the Epley or Semont maneuver have very high success rates within just a single session at resolving symptoms
- Manual therapy: The neck is always assessed in vestibular patients and can be a common source of symptoms like dizziness, disequilibrium and headaches
- Gaze stabilization exercises: Improves an individual’s ability to fixate their eyes while the head is moving
- Balance training: Using both stable and unstable surfaces to retrain the vestibular system and reduce the risk of falls
- Habituation exercises: Steadily reduce the symptoms of dizziness or vertigo by exposing the patient to triggers. Consequently, the brain adapts over time
Getting Started with Physiotherapy
Whether your symptoms have been present for a short or long time, Vestibular Physiotherapy can help you improve. Get started today with PhysioNow! We have an expert team of Registered Physiotherapists with training in Vestibular Rehabilitation. Emergency same-day appointments are available with clinics across the GTA including Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga and Etobicoke. Book with us today for your first assessment and treatment!
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