Vestibular Therapy
Most commonly, vestibular therapy will address vertigo, the sensation of spinning or feeling dizzy. However, dizziness can have many root causes. Our clinicians are trained in treating the most common cause of vertigo, BPPV, but can also address other causes of vertigo such as post-concussion syndrome, inner ear dysfunction, or involvement of neck/cervical spine.
BPPV:
Inside your ear is a tiny organ called the vestibular labyrinth. It includes three loop-shaped structures (semicircular canals) that contain fluid and fine, hairlike sensors that monitor your head’s rotation. Other structures (otolith organs) in your ear monitor your head’s movements — up and down, right and left, back and forth — and your head’s position related to gravity. These otolith organs contain crystals that make you sensitive to gravity. For many reasons, these crystals can become dislodged. When they become dislodged, they can move into one of the semicircular canals — especially while you’re lying down. This causes the semicircular canal to become sensitive to head position changes it would normally not respond to, which is what makes you feel dizzy. Our therapists are trained in treating this condition by putting your head and body in a series of positional changes to help align the crystals into their correct position allowing the dizziness and unsteadiness to subside.
Post Concussion Syndrome:
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells. Symptoms of a concussion can include:
- Headache
- Stiffness in neck
- Neck pain
- Dizziness with positional changes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Change in mood
- Sensitivity to light
Therapy can be effective in re-training the vestibular system to process the information it is perceiving correctly and minimize and improve the adverse sensations.
Our clinicians are trained to determine a patient’s underlying cause of symptoms and apply the appropriate treatment based on exam findings.