How Physical Therapy Can Help Your Vertigo

The Most Common Causes Of Vertigo

Three common causes of vertigo symptoms are Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s Disease, and vestibular neuritis. 

BPPV is essentially an inner-ear infection. This type of infection occurs when microscopic calcium particles called “canaliths” clump up in the inner ear canals. 

Your inner ear is responsible for sending gravitational messages to your brain regarding the movements of your body. This is how we remain balanced daily. When the inner ear canals are blocked, the correct messages cannot make it to the brain, and we become unbalanced – thus, causing vertigo.

Meniere’s Disease is a disorder of the inner ear caused by a buildup of fluid and fluctuating pressures within the ear. It has a similar effect as BPPV, as the fluid and pressure block messages from the inner ear canal to the brain, resulting in imbalance. Meniere’s Disease can cause tinnitus, commonly referred to as “a ringing of the ears,” and may even cause hearing loss in extreme cases.

Vestibular neuritis is also known as labyrinthitis. This is another type of inner ear infection, but it’s caused by a virus. The virus causes the inner ear and surrounding nerves to swell, resulting in difficulties with your balance due to discrepancies in the messages sent to the brain.

Although the most common causes of vertigo are due to issues with the inner ear, some less common causes of vertigo include:

• Injury to the head or neck
• Migraines
• Medications
• Stroke
• Brain tumor

Vertigo can sometimes go away on its own, however, it can also progress and worsen over time. If you believe you may have the symptoms of vertigo or one of its causes, it is essential to consult with one of our physical therapists immediately.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

Physical therapy is a standard treatment for vertigo, and our therapists at ReQuest Physical Therapy are trained to help alleviate any vertigo symptoms you may be experiencing. Your physical therapist will ask you questions to identify the cause of your vertigo and use this information to design the best treatment. 

Your physical therapist will perform tests to determine the causes of your vertigo. In some cases, the tests will clarify what is going on and how to resolve it. For example, your physical therapist can test if you have Nystagmus, also known as “eye jerks.” This is the phenomenon of experiencing uncontrollable eye movements and is common with BPPV testing. 

Our physical therapists are movement experts. In addition to vertigo testing, they also will determine your risk of falling. Then, depending on the results, your physical therapist may recommend further testing or specific interventions to alleviate your condition and ensure you are safe. The exact treatments will focus on helping you get moving again and managing your vertigo simultaneously. 

Treatment may include specialized head and neck movements that you can be taught to do. If you still have dizziness and balance problems after vertigo stops, your physical therapist can target specific activities to address those problems. 

Therapeutic Methods For Vertigo

Vestibular rehabilitation focuses on the vestibular system, located within the inner ear. The goal of this kind of therapy is to rebalance your vestibular system.

The vestibular system sends the gravitational messages to your brain about your body movements, and focusing on balance-specific exercises can help reset this system, thus diminishing the effects of vertigo.

Canalith repositioning maneuvers focus on treatment-specific head and body movements for BPPV patients. These exercises help move the calcium deposits out of the inner ear canal to alleviate blockage and allow gravitational messages to be more easily received by the brain. As the backup shrinks, the symptoms of vertigo will lessen.