How often have you had feelings of passing out or unsteadiness while standing still or lying down? Don’t worry; you are not alone. Every year, more than 10 million patients consult with a physician due to dizziness. Dizziness can occur due to a side effect of medications, a brain or heart problem or an inner ear disorder. No matter what the source of the problem is, living with it is challenging. This is where the role of vestibular physiotherapy treatment comes into play. It not only improves your body balance but also eliminates dizziness-related problems.
What exactly is vestibular physiotherapy treatment?
Vestibular rehabilitation treatment is a special form of therapy that takes care of vestibular disorders such as gaze instability, vertigo, dizziness, imbalance and falls. Professionals from this field prepare a customized exercise regime base on the clinical assessment findings, imaging studies, and laboratory testing results of the patient. The recovery process of each patient differs depending on pain, activity level, emotional concerns and other medical conditions or medications.
Three exercises involved in vestibular physiotherapy treatment
We have handpicked qualified and experienced vestibular physiotherapists to cater to your vestibular-related problems. We assess the condition of each client, identify the core reason for her/his problem and develop a suitable treatment plan accordingly. Finally, we prescribe any of the following exercises to help people get better physically and mentally.
The three major exercises involved in this treatment are:
Habituation exercises
This is apt for the treatment of the symptoms of dizziness caused by self-motion and visual stimuli. Habituation exercises are prescribed to people who experience dizziness while changing positions or in visually stimulating environments such as grocery stores and shopping malls.
The exercises include:
- Move your eyes slowly initially and then increase the pace. Move them up and down and then from side to side.
- Next, move the head with eyes open slowly at first and then quickly. Turn the head backwards and forwards and then turn it from side to side.
- Shrug and circle shoulders.
- Bend side to side to pick up objects from the ground.
All in all, the main goal of this exercise is to eliminate dizziness through consistent exposure to visual stimuli or specific movements that trigger the patient’s dizziness. The exercises train your brain to ignore the abnormal signal and hence reduce the dizziness intensity with time.
Gaze stabilisation exercises
These exercises tend to improve vision and your ability to focus on an immobile object while the head is moving. You should consult with our professional therapists to know which exercises suit you.
The exercise involves:
- Look straight ahead and look at an object at eye level.
- Move your head from side to side.
- Continue the exercise for up to one minute.
You can also do this exercise following a nodding movement. Go for this vestibular physiotherapy treatment while seated and then alter the foot’s position and do the exercises while standing.
Brandt-Daroff Exercises
These are perfect for BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Instead of repositioning the particles, these exercises disperse them and help your brain to adapt to vertigo symptoms with consistent head movements.
The exercises involve:
- Sit on the edge of your bed and move your head 45 degrees to one side.
- Lie down on the opposite side to make sure the backside of the head touched the bed.
- Hold this posture for 30 seconds.
Repeat the same exercises on the other side as well. You need to repeat the exercises six times on each side.
The vestibular physiotherapy treatment embraces a problem-oriented approach to promote compensation. Physiotherapists customize exercises to cater to the specific health problems for each individual. Book your appointment with our proficient physiotherapists to resolve your vestibular-related problems efficiently.
