Vestibular Therapy

Who can benefit from Vestibular Therapy?

Vestibular Therapy is for individuals of any age who suffer from dizziness, vertigo, or balance issues. The vestibular system is part of the inner ear and is one of the three main systems used for balance. Problems with this system can be a result of viral infections, head trauma, stroke, tumors, high doses of antibiotics, or be due to age-related changes. 

Symptoms which may be a result of vestibular dysfunction include:

• Dizziness or vertigo, a spinning sensation, feeling of falling, or lightheadedness
• Nausea or vomiting brought on by head or body movement
• Motion sickness
• Sensitivity to light
• Poor depth perception
• Loss of balance
• Headaches and/or blurred vision

Diagnoses we treat include:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
• Migraine-Associated Vertigo (MAV) / Vestibular Migraine
• Vestibular Neuritis
• Labyrinthitis
• Meniere’s Disease
• Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
• Post-Concussion Syndrome
• Acoustic Neuroma
• Balance and Mobility Disorders Related to
  • Stroke (CVA)
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Brain tumor
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)
  • Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder (CMT)
  • Cerebral Palsy (CP)
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
  • Generalized deconditioning

What is Vestibular Therapy?

Vestibular therapy at H&D is provided by specialty-trained and certified vestibular physical therapists and consists of exercises and maneuvers to improve balance and reduce problems with dizziness and falls. Infrared video goggles may be utilized to assist with diagnosis and treatment of different types of vertigo conditions. Standardized balance, gait, and fall risk assessment may also be performed to evaluate and help guide intervention for problems with balance and mobility

Treatments may include, but are not limited to, repositioning maneuvers and exercises to reduce effects from BPPV or motion sensitivity, gaze stabilization and visual motion exercises to improve dizziness and movement-related blurred vision, balance and gait exercises to improve mobility and reduce the risk for falls, and condition-specific education to provide patients with tools for effective treatment and decrease the risk of recurrence.

Who treats vestibular and balance conditions at H&D Physical Therapy?

Assessment and treatment are performed by physical therapists specially trained and certified in vestibular rehabilitation. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, or have received any of the above diagnoses, schedule an appointment today.