Vestibular Rehab Specialist

What is vestibular rehab?

Vestibular disorders relate to the inner ear and the role it plays in helping you balance. Problems with the inner ear can cause dizziness and visual disturbances, and affect your balance. Other symptoms include fatigue, difficulty thinking clearly, and nausea.

Vestibular rehab aims to help patients with these symptoms and help them regain a better quality of life.

What kind of vestibular condition might affect me?

Vertigo is the typical vestibular disorder, where you experience the feeling of a rocking or rotating sensation at rest. A bout of vertigo can last for several hours or days.

Vertigo can develop due to central or peripheral causes. Central causes originate in the spinal cord or brain, while peripheral causes are those that originate in the inner ear.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a central cause of vertigo that can develop after an illness or displacement of small crystals in the inner ear. With Meniere’s disease, there’s a fluid buildup in the inner ear that can cause vertigo.

Other possible causes for vertigo include:

• Headaches
• Head injuries
• Stroke
• Tumors
• Multiple sclerosis
• Alcohol consumption

Medications like antidepressants, aspirin, blood pressure pills, and anti-seizure drugs can also cause vertigo.

If you’ve been experiencing symptoms of vertigo, you should consult your primary care provider, who can diagnose the cause of the problem. They can carry out a comprehensive neurological exam to check brain function and determine whether the cause is peripheral or central.

Tests may include the Dix-Hallpike test or the roll test to check for abnormal eye movement, a computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or electronystagmography (ENG), to check nerve function in your brain.

What does vestibular rehab involve?

For peripheral vertigo, the most effective treatments include partial repositioning movements, known as the canalith repositioning procedure or the Epley maneuver.

By performing specific head movements, your physical therapist can move the crystals in the inner ear that are causing vertigo.

Your therapist may also carry out a series of head and eye movements known as Cawthorne head exercises. These exercises help to decrease the sensitivity of the nerves and improve vertigo and can be highly effective if carried out regularly.

Most patients who have peripheral vertigo find substantial relief with physical therapy, and it’s thought that treatment of BPPV using the Epley maneuver benefits around 90% of patients within just a few sessions.

Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy also has the state-of-the-art Solo-Step® Overhead Track and Harness System to help patients who have balance problems exercise safely without the risk of falling.

To find out more about vestibular rehab, call the clinic today or book an appointment online.