Is Your Head Spinning? How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Vertigo

Have you ever had a sudden sense that you’re spinning in place — even though you’re standing perfectly still? If so, then you’ve experienced vertigo, an unnerving sensation that often indicates an underlying issue with your vestibular system. 

A single incident of vertigo probably isn’t anything to worry about, as the sensation isn’t typically harmful in and of itself. However, multiple vertigo attacks could indicate an underlying issue with your vestibular system, which helps manage your balance and spatial awareness. Frequent vertigo can also increase fall risk, leading to potential injury or hospitalization.

While vertigo can feel hallucinatory and strange, it is more often than not rooted in a physical issue — one that the physical therapists at Preferred Physical Therapy can help address. Our team’s understanding of your body’s vestibular and balance systems ensures you can find the relief you need to live a full, healthy life.

Don’t let vertigo sweep you off your feet. Call us today to schedule an initial consultation!

Understanding Vertigo: What It Is, What It Feels Like, and What Causes It

Many people use the terms “vertigo” and “dizziness” interchangeably, but vertigo is a specific type of dizziness. Dizziness can refer to a range of sensations: wooziness, lightheadedness, etc. Vertigo refers to a particular sensation in which you feel like you or the space you’re in is spinning.

Vertigo is closely associated with your vestibular system, which is located in your inner ear (the peripheral vestibular system) and in your cerebellum (the central vestibular system). Most people with vertigo have an impairment in the peripheral vestibular system: the structures and canals of the inner ear.

What sort of impairments? Here are a few of the most common:

Our physical therapists will work with you and other providers, if needed, to determine the exact root of your vertigo attacks.

Physical Therapy’s Role in Treating Vertigo

Many people are surprised that physical therapy is a standard treatment for vertigo, but it’s true, especially if you have peripheral vertigo. Our therapists will blend several different treatments to help manage your vertigo attacks while working to improve your overall balance and stability:

Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized form of physical therapy that consists of exercises specifically designed to address issues with the vestibular system, including relaxation techniques, gaze stabilization exercises, and more.

Repositioning maneuvers help people with BPPV. We can dislodge the crystals causing your symptoms by positioning your head in certain ways.

Balance training is an integral part of any vertigo treatment plan. We’ll walk you through exercises designed to challenge — and improve — your overall balance, which helps reduce your fall risk.

Conditioning programs are another important piece in the vertigo puzzle. Muscular weakness, particularly in the core, can contribute to balance issues; a tailored exercise program will help you build the strength you need to stay on your feet.

Finally, patient education ensures you understand the cause of your vertigo and have the tools you need to manage it. For example, we can help you identify and avoid vertigo triggers and provide strategies to make it through vertigo attacks.

If you’re suffering from vertigo, you may have heard you could benefit from vestibular rehabilitation. But what is that, exactly? Let’s break it down. 

Vestibular rehab focuses on addressing impairments in your vestibular system, which controls your body’s sense of balance and proprioception (awareness of itself in space).  It mainly focuses on issues in your peripheral vestibular system, the structures and labyrinths in your inner ear that help keep you steady.

Like any good physical therapy program, a good vestibular rehabilitation program is designed around your symptoms, condition, and overall goals. The Preferred Physical Therapy physical therapists will work closely with you to create your own customized plan.

What Will We Include in a Vestibular Rehabilitation Program?

The aims of vestibular rehab are three-fold. We want to help you…

• Improve your balance

• Improve your gaze stability

• Reduce your vertigo attacks

To accomplish these goals, we’ll pull from a blend of targeted vestibular exercises. These activities may not look like “traditional” physical therapy, but they’re all techniques proven to help manage vertigo and dizziness symptoms related to vestibular disorders. Here’s what you can expect:

• Habituation Exercises: We’ll help you “habituate” to your vertigo by working with you to identify movements that trigger an attack — and then have you perform those movements in a monitored environment. Over time, your symptoms can decrease.
  
• Relaxation Exercises: We’ll show you techniques to calm your body when you do experience a vertigo attack.
  
• Vision Exercises: Vision and vertigo often go hand in hand. By stabilizing your gaze, you can decrease vertigo attacks. These exercises include focusing and refocusing your gaze on a busy visual field, among others.
  
• Postural Exercises: These exercises address all aspects of your body’s balance systems (visual, sensory, and vestibular) to help challenge and improve your balance while reducing your fall risk.

Think you might benefit from vestibular rehabilitation? Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation!