Vestibular Disorders

Vestibular disorders include a number of pathologies that can affect the vestibular apparatus located in the inner ear or their processing centers in the brain. These disorders often result in symptoms of dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and/or imbalance. The most common cause of vertigo is BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) which is caused by displaced crystals within the inner ear. Through a series of tests and maneuvers your therapist will be able to determine the location of the displaced crystals and redeposit them where they belong. If your symptoms are due to a different vestibular disorder, your physical therapist will develop a personalized treatment plan utilizing VRT(Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy) to retrain the brain and alleviate your symptoms.

Treatment Techniques May Include:

• Balance retraining and balance strategies: helping the body to regain balance through a variety of exercises and techniques.
• Sensory organization techniques and gaze stabilization strategies: helping the body to use its senses to overcome dizziness and decreased balance.
• Habituation exercises: helping the body to decrease dizziness by repeatedly exposing it to a stimulus.
• Canalith Repositioning maneuver: a maneuver performed by the therapist to manipulate the calcium crystals found in the inner ear.
• Individualized home exercise program: an exercise program patients can do at home, based on each patient’s individual needs.