How can Vestibular Rehabilitation Improve My Dizziness?

Dizziness is described as:

• Feelings of unsteadiness
• Wooziness
• Lightheadedness
• Feelings of passing out
• Sensations of moving
• Spinning
• Floating
• Swaying
• Tilting
• Whirling (sensations known as vertigo)

These feelings or sensations can occur when you are still, lying down, or changing positions. The symptoms can be intermittent or constant in nature, and lasting seconds, minutes or hours.

Dizziness is a very common problem and it is one of the most common causes of physician visits and hospitalizations among older adults of 65 years and above.

What causes dizziness?

Dizziness could be a sign of a mechanical problem. Dizziness can be due to a disorder of the inner ear, caused by neck dysfunction, a side effect of medications, and can also be a sign of a more serious problem such as a brain or heart problem.

 Conditions that benefit from Vestibular rehabilitation

Patients with dizziness, imbalance, vertigo, vestibular hypofunctions, motion sickness, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), and neck-related dizziness are commonly referred for vestibular rehabilitation.

 Symptoms that are alleviated by vestibular rehabilitation include:

• Dizziness or blurry vision with head movements
• Imbalance or the need to hold onto objects when walking
• Frequent falls
• Generalized “dizziness, wooziness and foggy head” feelings
• Vertigo/spinning

Your Physical therapist will evaluate you and assess your symptoms and screen you for more serious medical problems. These tests include:

• Balance and/or leg strength/flexibility
• Gait (how you walk)
• Visual stability and mobility
• Neck mobility and neck and arm strength
• Positional testing, including an inner ear exam

Based on the findings, a plan of care is developed. The goal of your treatment plan is to improve any deficits that were identified. This, in turn, will improve your ability to function in activities of everyday living, reduce your risk for falling and ultimately, improve your quality of life.

All of this and more could be accessed at our Great Neck and Farmingdale clinics, and with an In-home therapy session.

Sources

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/15298-vestibular-rehabilitation

https://www.moveforwardpt.com/SymptomsConditionsDetail.aspx?cid=c599c29d-3323-4dc3-bb68-0f699ef4d7a5

Author

Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy is an outstanding specialty service providing exceptional care and state-of-the-art treatments for the residents of Farmingdale and Great Neck, New York. The combination of innovative exercise programs, manual therapy, and technology together with the expertise of every member of the team enables Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy to provide services that ensure superior clinical outcomes and consistently high patient satisfaction.