Vestibular Rehab.
Stabilizing Solutions.
If you’ve ever experienced vertigo, dizziness, unsteadiness and off balance you will be ecstatic to hear that we have therapists specialized in Vestibular Rehab to help assess and treat your symptoms.
Put simply, your vestibular system is part of your inner ear and provides your brain with information on where your head is in space. You actually have two vestibular systems; one in each ear. When one of those systems is not working properly or injured, these symptoms can occur.
Injuries that can cause changes to your vestibular system include: head trauma, inner ear infections, concussion, aging and certain medications. Vestibular problems are very common and can effect people of all ages.
Types of Vestibular Injuries.
BPPV.
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (aka BPPV) is a common cause of dizziness. Put simply there are little crystals in your inner ear that can travel to an area they don’t belong. This changes the information that is being sent to your brain about your head position and results in classic vertigo symptoms. With specific maneuvers we can help to move them back to where they belong and reduce your symptoms related to vertigo.
Hypofunction.
This means that one of your vestibular systems (remember you have two) is no longer working as well as it should be. This tends to cause dizziness, a feeling of unsteadiness or off balance. With an exercise base approach, we can improve these symptoms.
Common Symptoms.
Spinning sensation
Difficulty reading or concentrating
Poor balance
Motion sensitivity
Nausea
Headaches
Sensitivity to bright lights + noises
Decreased tolerance to crowds
Blurring of vision with head movement
Difficulty watching TV or movies
Our Specialized Techniques.
Subjective History
The most important part of a Vestibular Assessment is the subjective history (aka all the questions). There are many different reasons someone can have dizziness or vertigo. A thorough Q&A prior to any physical assessment can help your therapist to know how to proceed.
Hypofunction Assessment
The subjective history will guide your therapist’s next steps. If Hypofunction is suspected, your therapist will take you through a variety of physical assessment tools to determine the factors that play a role in your vertigo symptoms. This is how they will develop your treatment plan.
Oculomotor assessment
Gait assessment
Balance assessment
Multi-system (looking at how other sensory systems play a role such as your vision + proprioception)
Neck assessment
BPPV Assessment
Based on the subjective history, your therapist will move onto the physical part of the assessment. A technique called the Dix Hallpike is used to determine the details of the BPPV (ie. confirming BPPV as the diagnosis, determining which canal has been affected and planning the treatment technique).
Treatment
There are specific treatment techniques that your therapist will use based on their assessment findings. Treatment techniques can range from a sequence of head positions combined with body rolls to an exercise-based approach that helps reacquaints your vestibular system with normal movement. Education is a big part of our treatment plan. Understanding what is causing your symptoms and what we can do to improve your function is key.
*Assessing + treating the vestibular system can be symptom provoking.
Pricing
Initial Assessment $130
Private one-on-one assessment with a Registered Physiotherapist who specializes in Vestibular Rehab. Includes your first treatment.
Follow-up Visit $85
Private one-on-one follow-up visit with your Physiotherapist who specializes in Vestibular Rehab.
FAQs
What type of vertigo can be treated by a Physiotherapist?
The most commonly treated vertigo is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (aka BPPV). With BPPV, symptoms of dizziness are related to head or eye movements and often decrease within one minute. Your therapist will be able to help identify if your symptoms are related to BPPV or if there may be another reason you are experiencing dizziness or vertigo symptoms.
What is BPPV?
The cause is unknown in most cases. BPPV symptoms start when the crystals in your ear travel to an area they don’t belong. This causes confusion about where your head is in space and results in dizziness often combined with rapid eye movements (aka nystagmus). This is typically a temporary confusion that can be helped with a thorough assessment and some specific maneuvers to get them back where they belong.
Do I need to see my doctor first?
No. You do not have to see your doctor before having a vestibular assessment with one of our therapists who specializes in this area. If we were to have any concerns from that appointment, we would make the recommendation for you to see your doctor prior to any treatment. This is quite rare.
Will Vestibular Rehab be covered by my health benefits?
Yes! Any assessment or treatment provided by a Registered Physiotherapist is covered under most private extended health plans.