Exploring the Advantages of Vestibular Rehabilitation
A dysfunctional vestibular system can cause many unpleasant conditions, such as dizziness and chronic headaches. Thankfully, you can alleviate these conditions through vestibular rehabilitation.
Let's consider some of the benefits of vestibular rehabilitation:
Reduce dizziness
Vestibular rehabilitation can reduce dizziness caused by visual or self-motion stimuli. To achieve this, rehabilitation specialists perform habituation exercises. They’re beneficial for patients who suffer from increased lightheadedness when moving around and making rapid head movements. It also works great for people who get dizzy when changing positions, such as reaching above the head or bending over.
Furthermore, habituation exercises can be a perfect solution for dizziness in a visually stimulating environment. It enables patients to visit shopping malls, grocery stores, walk over shiny floors, and watch action movies with minor discomfort.
Addresses the source of dizziness
Another tremendous benefit of vestibular rehabilitation is that it targets the underlying cause of dizziness. In most cases, this condition is a symptom of BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). It’s an inner ear disorder that manifests itself through sudden dizziness when tipping the head backward or other head movements.
The BPPV treatment plan usually depends on how well the patient tolerates the symptoms. Addressing the condition may involve canalith repositioning maneuvers. These motions include several head positions aimed at dislodging calcium crystals from inner ear canals.
BPPV rehabilitation may require only a few therapy sessions centered on repositioning maneuvers. However, it can also take several weeks if the symptoms are associated with other diagnoses.
Gaze stabilization
Vestibular rehabilitation experts can also perform several exercises to increase gaze stabilization. The goal of these treatments is to gain better control of your eye movements to provide clearer vision during head motions. They are excellent for people who struggle to see clearly because their vision seems to bounce around. If successful, they allow patients to read and identify objects in their environment more quickly.
Improving balance
Balance training exercises can improve steadiness to facilitate work, self-care, and leisure activities. The exercises are moderately challenging and safe enough to keep patients from falling while performing them.
In addition, they reduce the risk of walking on particular terrain. For example, patients receiving this treatment can walk in the dark, outside, or on the uneven ground more confidently.
How is vestibular rehabilitation administered?
Before starting the treatment, physical therapists will evaluate the patient’s symptoms and review their medical history. The assessment can include:
Balance and leg flexibility
Gait
Visual mobility and stability
Neck and arm mobility and strength
Positional testing that includes inner ear examination
The experts develop a care plan according to the findings to determine the correct course of treatment. After a certain number of sessions, the patient’s ability to perform everyday activities can improve dramatically.
If you are looking for occupational or physical therapy, vestibular rehab, wheelchair training, learning to walk, unweighting aquatic therapy, or other services in the Phoenix area, please call Touchstone Rehabilitation at 602-277-1073.