Vestibular Treatment

We provide vestibular therapy, dizzy therapy, and therapy for vertigo.  People with these conditions often feel off balance, dizzy, and/or nauseated.

The vestibular system of our bodies allow us to stay upright and balanced when our vision and our sensation is distorted.

When the brain cannot rely on the information it receives from the vestibular system, a person's ability to maintain posture and coordinate balance can become overly dependent on vision or on the information received from the muscles and joints.

This can lead to developing new patterns of movement to compensate for the change and to avoid head movements that are apt to create symptoms of dizziness and nausea. For example, a person might adopt an exaggerated hip sway as a method of balancing, swivel the entire body rather than just the head when turning to look at something, or always look down at the floor to avoid what appears as a confusing swirl of activity.

Unfortunately, these types of adaptation can result in headache, neckache, muscle stiffness, general fatigue, and a decrease in the ability to retrain the brain to adjust to the vestibular problem, hence making the symptoms much worse.

The goal of Vestibular therapy is to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from the vestibular system in coordination with information from vision and sensation. This often involves desensitizing the balance system to movements that provoke symptoms.

A qualified therapist will first perform a thorough evaluation. This includes observing posture, balance, movement, and compensatory strategies.

Using the results of this evaluation, the therapist will develop an individualized treatment plan that includes specific head, body, and eye exercises to be performed both in the therapy setting and at home. Many times, treatment may also include increasing activities and exercise in order to strengthen muscles and increase tolerance for symptom-provoking stimuli.

Some of the exercise and activities may at first cause an increase in symptoms as the body and brain attempt to sort out the new pattern of movements. But with time and consistent practice, coordination of signals from the eyes, sensation, and vestibular system can occur.  The result is improved function.