Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular rehabilitation is a physiotherapy treatment that is designed to help people who have vestibular disorders and are suffering from dizziness, vertigo, or balance problems. Vestibular rehabilitation is an exercise-based program to alleviate the symptoms of vestibular dysfunctions such as motion sensitivity (where quick movements of the head cause dizziness), and problems with gaze stability, or most commonly BPPV. The treatment will include training and integration of your eyes and ears with the rest of your body particularly your neck and upper back.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo. It is a sudden sensation that you are spinning or that the inside of your head is spinning.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo causes brief episodes of mild to intense spinning or dizziness. It is usually triggered by turning your head most commonly rotation or turning in bed. This vertigo can occur when you tip your head up or down, when you lie down, or when you turn over or sit up in bed.
Although benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can be a bothersome problem, it is rarely serious. You can receive effective and immediate results with a simple repositioning technique in our office. Some people can also try to reposition the crystals in their ear on their own using Epley’s maneuver.
Although the treatment for BPPV is simple and quick, there are many other causes of dizziness. Our trained physiotherapists are trained to assess all the systems responsible for balance and isolate the areas that are working suboptimally and create a patient-specific rehabilitation program for each client that is specifically suited for them.
Vestibular treatment is one of the components of the PACT Concussion Care Program
Our treatments include:
- Balance retraining exercises
- We include effective technologies such as iLS (integrated listening systems), laser, focus builder and others to enhance recovery and repair
- Eye exercises including saccades, fixation, pursuits, optikinetics
- Neck and craniovertebral and/or craniosacral therapy
- Specific vestibular exercises
- Specific neuroplasticity exercises designed to first balance the brain (cerebellum, brainstem, and its interconnections) and then strengthen its function
- Supervised therapy session to monitor progress and continually challenge the vestibular, visual and balance systems
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) may include:
- Dizziness or feeling light-headed
- A sense that you are spinning or the world is moving (vertigo)
- A loss of balance or unsteadiness
- Nausea and/or Vomiting
- Abnormal rhythmical eye movements are known as nystagmus usually accompany the symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and will be assessed by your therapist.
The symptoms of BPPV can come and go, with symptoms usually lasting less than one minute. Episodes of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can disappear and then come again with specific movements.
Activities that bring about the signs and symptoms of BPPV can vary. Some people also feel out of balance or do not feel still when standing or walking.
Seek emergency care
It is uncommon for the dizziness to signal a serious illness, but you should see your doctor immediately if you experience dizziness or vertigo along with any of the following as this may indicate something more serious:
- A severe headache that progressively is getting worse
- A fever
- Double vision or loss of vision
- Hearing loss
- Trouble speaking
- Leg or arm weakness
- Loss of consciousness
- Numbness or tingling especially if in the chest or in more than one limb