Physiotherapists can assist in vestibular rehabilitation, that is the treatment of the feeling of dizziness which can be experienced for a number of different reasons. Our physiotherapists have undertaken further post graduate training in the assessment and treatment of vestibular disorders.
Dizziness may arise from a number of conditions ranging from Benign Positional Paroxymal Vertigo (BPPV), vestibular migraine, Persistant Postural and Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD), Meniere’s Disease to Acute Unilateral Vestibulopathy among many others.
Our physiotherapists are trained to complete a thorough history of your condition which will give them some clues as to the cause of your dizziness as well as to complete a full physical assessment to ascertain from which component of the vestibular system that your issue is arising from.
Once your therapist has been able to determine this, you will undergo treatment directed at that part of your vestibular system. As well as hands on treatment by your therapist you will be given a targeted exercise program to complete independently. These exercises will focus on any deficits your physiotherapist has found during your assessment. It is very important that you do these exercises as often as prescribed by your therapist as they play a very important role in improving your symptoms.
Before you come to your appointment, take notice of the positions or chores that you find exacerbate your symptoms eg. washing your hair, moving quickly into standing, rolling over in bed, bending over. You will also be asked about your history of falls, medications and medical history so it is useful to have thought about these things before hand as they are valuable clues for your therapist.
Physiotherapists are very careful in their assessment of vestibular complaints and if they have any concerns, they will refer you back to your GP for further investigations.