Vestibular rehabilitation is a unique form of physical therapy that targets your inner ear to treat balance disorders. Your inner ear isn’t just responsible for your ability to hear. In fact, structures within also help you maintain your balance.
Your inner ear has three sections: the cochlea, semicircular canals, and vestibule. The cochlea is a curly-shaped organ filled with fluid that allows you to hear. Its narrow end lets you hear low-pitched sounds, while the wider end (the base) is sensitive to high-pitched sounds. The other portions of the inner ear primarily serve balance purposes.
Vestibular rehabilitation focuses on these organs to alleviate symptoms of balance disorders. Vertigo is a common symptom and involves the sensation of spinning, dizziness, or motion, even if you’re entirely motionless. As you might imagine, it can lead to nausea and vomiting.
Some possible causes of vertigo are:
Our experts at Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, P.C., in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, can treat vertigo through personalized vestibular rehabilitation. Though results vary, vestibular rehabilitation programs offer distinct benefits for people with vertigo. Here are five ways vestibular rehabilitation treats vertigo:
Gaze stabilization exercises use specific eye movements to improve your stability. Over time, training your eye muscles can help reduce dizziness and improve balance.
Vertigo and associated symptoms can worsen because of miscommunications between your eyesight and your joint and muscle movements. Balance retraining focuses on coordinating your muscle and joint movements with your vision. Hence, you feel more steady as you move.
Improving your balance and reducing vertigo through vestibular rehabilitation helps you stay more steady on your feet, whether walking, running, or standing still. Therefore, you’re at a lower risk of tripping and falling. You’re also at a reduced risk of injuring yourself and being subject to the time commitment and costs of treating a fracture or muscle strain due to a fall.
Vertigo and dizziness can worsen at a busy shopping mall or concert. Instead of avoiding busy activities and stimulation, consider engaging in vestibular rehabilitation to build your tolerance to stimulating environments.
Habituation exercises are beneficial because they repeatedly expose you to unusual and unexpected stimuli while training you to ignore the changes in your environment.
With severe vertigo, you might find yourself relying on others for tasks you could once perform independently. Reduced independence is humbling and frustrating, but it doesn’t need to be permanent. You can improve your coordination and restore your independence with diligent vestibular rehabilitation.
If vertigo affects your daily life, call Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, P.C. to speak with our team about vestibular rehabilitation or schedule an appointment online today.
