Vertigo
What is vertigo? How can physiotherapy help?
Most people are surprised to hear that physiotherapists are trained to assess and treat some forms of vertigo. Vertigo can be debilitating and physiotherapy can be a useful tool to reduce symptoms and help you get back to living your normal life again.
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo can be defined as the false sensation of motion of either the self or surroundings in the absence of any true motion. Basically, it’s a form of dizziness that either feels like the room is spinning or that you are spinning. There are many causes of vertigo, a common one that we see in the clinic is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or commonly referred to as BPPV.
BPPV is characterised by dizziness that is produced by changes in head position and can last anywhere from seconds to minutes. BPPV is related to a dysfunction of the inner ear where tiny particles break loose and move into the wrong canals. This stimulates nerves that detect head movements and confuses the brain into thinking you or the room is spinning.
There are other conditions that cause vertigo such as vestibular neuritis, Meniere’s disease and even symptoms caused post-concussion that can also be suitable for physiotherapy.
How can physiotherapy help?
Physiotherapists are trained to assess vertigo through a series of tests. These tests help identify the potential cause of the vertigo and whether or not the condition is suitable for physiotherapy. If the condition is not suitable then your physiotherapist will provide you with an appropriate referral to another health professional such as a doctor.
If the condition is diagnosed as BPPV then there are a number of manoeuvres and exercises that your physiotherapist can perform to help ease your symptoms. The most common is the Epley manoeuvre which involves a number of movements designed to dislodge the broken particles within your ear canals and stop the false signals going to the brain which causes vertigo.
If your vertigo is caused from other condition, then physiotherapy can potentially help through vestibular rehab. Vestibular rehab consists of a range of exercises designed to improve balance and gaze stabilisation, which can reduce vertigo symptoms.
If you are experiencing any vertigo symptoms, then let our team help. Call (07) 4723 2233 to book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists.
References
Gopinath et al, Dizziness and vertigo in an older population: the Blue Mountains prospective cross-sectional study, Clin Otolaryngol. 2009 Dec;34(6):552-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-4486.2009.02025).
Murray DA, Meldrum D, Lennon O Can vestibular rehabilitation exercises help patients with concussion? A systematic review of efficacy, prescription and progression patterns Br J Sports Med 2017;51:442-451.
Schneider KJ, Leddy JJ, Guskiewicz KM, et al Rest and treatment/rehabilitation following sport-related concussion: a systematic review Br J Sports Med 2017;51:930-934.