Dizziness, Vertigo & Balance

How can Vestibular Therapy help me?

Vestibular therapy is a kind of physical therapy that is geared specifically to inner ear disorders. First, you’ll receive a complete evaluation to determine the cause of your symptoms. After all, dizziness and vertigo can impede people in many different ways, so it’s important to determine exactly how the problem is affecting your balance and movement.  We then proceed with several techniques and approaches in a complete plan of care. 

 

Canalith Repositioning Manuevers

With our technology and expertise, we can determine which canal(s) are causing your BPPV and implement the most appropriate manuever.  If done correctly, these techniques are highly successful. 

 

Vestibular Rehabilitation

There is an art and science to formulating a plan to challenge your vestibular systems, balance and eyes without making you feel ill! This is what we do best to get you feeling the best!

 

Cervical Treatment

We teach other professionals nationally and internationally on how to treat the neck in those who have dizziness.  Let us help you with our Physio Blend to decrease pain and improve mobility. 

What exactly is Vestibular Rehabilitation?

Our body’s sense of balance and spatial orientation is something we take for granted. But when illness or injury affects the body’s balancing system, it can lead to falls, reduced mobility, blurred vision, headaches, nausea, and other physical discomforts. The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, is often to blame. An important contributor to the body’s balancing, this system has three jobs to do:

  • Detect the position of the head in space and on the body
  • Ensure postural control
  • Contribute to coordination of head and eye movement

Individualized treatments include:

  • Vestibular Habituation/Adaptation Exercises: Based on the rationale that by repeating the movements that create dizziness or vertigo, the brain will adjust its response
  • Vestibular Ocular Exercises: Combine head and eye movements in progressively more complicated combinations and positions to reduce vertigo symptoms
  • Balance Retraining: Involves exercises designed to improve coordination of muscle responses, as well as the organization of sensory information for balance control
  • Gaze Stabilization Exercises: Reduce retinal image “slipping,” which contributes to the sense of imbalance
  • Compensatory Strategies: To help minimize the effects of vestibular loss of function
  • Cardiovascular Exercises: To increase endurance
  • Sensory Integration Strategies: Sensory and motor activities to help the brain better absorb and process sensory information
  • Posture Education and Instruction in Ideal Head and Body Positioning
  • Fall Prevention and Safety Training
Our highly trained team of physical therapists will evaluate a number of factors, including reflexes, balance, leg strength and overall habits of movement. This allows us to put together an individualized treatment plan for you.

In many cases, patients receive instant relief from specialized head movements. These gentle adjustments are designed to dislodge crystals, when the problem is vertigo, or simply re-orient your senses, as with general dizziness. One or two sessions can often resolve the problem.

If additional treatment is needed, coordination and balance exercises will be part of your vestibular therapy. This training is devised to give you confidence in your ability to move without falling or stumbling, while also decreasing the symptoms of the vertigo or dizziness. In addition, the therapy will teach you how to maintain this ability on your own, which diminishes the risk of injury if future bouts of vertigo or dizziness occur.

Discover how PhysioFit of NC can help you get back to feeling better and living better.  

Call us today at 919-728-0335 for more information or to schedule an appointment online.

Learn more with our articles on dizziness and vertigo!