Vestibular Therapy
What is Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy?
A specialized form of therapy, Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) involves exercises intended to alleviate problems caused by vestibular disorders, primarily vertigo and dizziness, gaze instability, and/or imbalance and falls. It may help people with the following conditions:
Vertigo
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Labyrinthitis
Vestibular Neuritis
Migraine Headaches
Meniere Disease
Traumatic Brain Injury (concussion)
Dizziness
Dizziness is the sense of disorientation, vertigo, lightheadedness, and disequilibrium.
VERTIGO
A sense of your environment spinning around you, or a feeling of tilting or swaying, vertigo can also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
LIGHTHEADEDNESS
An unpleasant sensation of dizziness or feeling like one might pass out, lightheadedness can also be caused by a number of medical conditions to include low blood pressure (hypotension) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
DISEQUILIBRIUM
The sensation of feeling off balance. Disequilibrium can lead to falls and injury.
What to expect during therapy
A skilled physical therapist will perform a thorough evaluation to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. Specific treatments may include the following:
Manual techniques to correct positional vertigo (BPPV)
Exercises to improve eye movement control
Balance retraining
Strengthening and stretching exercises