Dizziness, Vertigo & Concussion Rehabilitation

Your vestibular system helps your body keep its balance by using information from the eyes, inner ear, arms, and legs to tell the brain how the body is moving or how it is positioned. When this information is altered or missing, you can lose your balance, become dizzy, or experience vertigo.

There are various types of vertigo that will require differing methods of treatment. These include:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV (inner ear dysfunction)

• Vestibular hypofunction (decreased functioning)

• Cervicogenic dizziness (dizziness due to problems in your neck)

• Post-concussion symptoms and other causes of dizziness

During your evaluation, a therapist will determine the underlying cause of your symptoms, then determine the best plan of care to decrease your dizziness.

Vestibular rehabilitation Vestibular rehabilitation is performed by a licensed therapist with special training in vestibular therapy. The length of treatment varies depending on the type of vestibular issue. Your therapist will perform a multi-system assessment to determine what systems are most involved. The goal of therapy is to minimize or eliminate symptoms and return you to the activities you enjoy.

Possible symptoms You may benefit from vestibular rehabilitation if you experience a mix of the following symptoms:

• Dizziness / vertigo

• Disequilibrium and walking imbalance

• Falls / loss of balance

• Movement sensitivity

• Position sensitivity

• Neck pain and loss of motion

• Fatigue / eye fatigue / headaches

• Loss of coordination

• Facial pain / pressure

• Ear pain / pressure / ringing

• Trouble focusing or reading

• Nausea / vomiting
  

Possible Treatments

• Special maneuvers to restore normal inner-ear function.

• Balance training

• Strength training

• Gaze stabilization exercises

• Neck mobility exercises

• Gait training

• Manual therapy to address soft tissue dysfunctions