How to treat vertigo and dizziness through physiotherapy?

Vertigo and dizziness, a frequent health issue affecting individuals over 60, can make it difficult for people to balance their bodies, shake when walking outside, or cause the brain to get disoriented when you view something like a patterned floor. Additionally, it can cause fainting spells, and if the disease increases, it can become challenging to do everyday activities like walking through crowds or being among people.

Even though you may not feel pain when you experience dizziness or fainting, physiotherapy may not seem like the best treatment for these issues. However, it is shown that specific exercises and treatments can help alleviate balance and dizziness issues. Start your dizziness and vertigo treatment in Calgary to alleviate the pain.

What is Vertigo? 

Vertigo is characterized by a spinning and unsteadiness-like feeling. It frequently seems as though the room is whirling. It might be challenging to identify this from other types of dizziness, including lightheadedness, fogginess, or unsteadiness.

What causes dizziness?

Dizziness and memory issues are frequently the result of an inner-ear condition, which a virus may have brought on following a severe cold. Because the human brain has to work so hard to keep the body upright, other brain processes get compromised, which leads to concentration problems, memory loss, and exhaustion. The dizziness normally goes away along with these symptoms. 

Most of the time, this dizzy period goes away without reoccurring. Still, many people start to have mild to moderate problems going about their everyday lives, working, or participating in sports. It gets harder and harder to focus when watching TV, reading a book, going to the theater, trying to read street signs while walking, riding the escalator, being in a crowded place, etc.

What is BPPV?

Vertigo is not the only dizziness or light-headed feeling. Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness or vertigo. It is an illusion of movement, not merely feeling dizzy or faint. In reality, the person experiencing this condition is not twisting, spinning, falling, or otherwise in motion, yet they feel like they are. 

BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), brought on by the displacement of tiny calcium particles in the inner ear balance organ, is one of the most frequent causes of vertigo. The particles go from the Utricle, where they belong, to semicircular canals, a condition frequently brought on by a blow to the head, whiplash, or a fall. 

These floating crystals irritate the inner ear, which in turn causes the brain to receive false signals. These particles frequently become lodged in the canals, which results in continuous dizziness, but occasionally they settle by themselves and eliminate the symptoms. Depending on the cause, an acute vertigo attack might last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.

How do physiotherapists treat vertigo?

To identify the reason for your dizziness, a skilled physiotherapist first gathers thorough information about your health and medical background. They next do several clinical tests, including watching your eye movements. 

When displaced particles are the source of acute vertigo, a vestibular physiotherapist can instantly relieve symptoms by using the proper repositioning procedures to move the displaced particles out of the canal and back into their proper position. This level of care suffices in many instances.

Disequilibrium and vertigo can be quite alarming, but they often do not indicate a serious or life-threatening illness. Disequilibrium is a jittery imbalance sensation that frequently occurs after acute vertigo subsides. 

By using exercises to retrain the brain, a vestibular physiotherapist helps the patient lessen imbalance and dizziness at this stage.

Other ways to treat vertigo 

Education

Reassurance and education are essential. Physios take their time elaborating on the examination results and their implications. Your physiotherapist can also direct you to various excellent, trustworthy websites if you need more information.

Positional maneuvers

Positional manipulations, the most well-known of which is the Epley maneuver, which tries to reposition the crystals back to the otolith, where they belong, have great success in treating BPPV instances. The  ‘marble in the maze’ game is a great comparison to describe this. Utilizing our understanding of the anatomy and operation of the inner ear, we are essentially attempting to tilt and move the ball around to return it to its original location.

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy

The foundation of vestibular physiotherapy is that by repeatedly performing the motions that cause the patient to feel dizzy, the symptoms would ultimately go away. The brain is eventually made to adapt by being constantly inundated with false signals, absorbing and reinterpreting them as true. In that case, the symptoms go away.

The exercise regimens used in vestibular rehabilitation are customized for each patient. The exercises are straightforward and uncomplicated to the point that many patients are initially dubious about their efficacy. Most inner-ear conditions require physical treatment for six weeks to 18 months. The programme typically comprises once or twice daily practises at home and one or two weekly clinic appointments to monitor and advance exercises as the patient improves.

Gaze stabilization

Some workouts enhance the capacity to concentrate on nearby items while shifting the head. This is crucial for daily activities, including playing sports, shopping at the grocery store or mall, and reading signs while walking and driving.

Exercises that create habits include leaping, sitting up and laying down quickly, and rotating in circles.

Balance retraining 

Exercises that make the brain rely more on signals from the inner ear than from the eyes and feet, such as standing on a large piece of foam rubber or rocking back and forth. 

These exercises can be pushed to highly advanced degrees and incorporate sophisticated tasks depending on the patient's lifestyle or line of work.

Conclusion

Happy news that the result is usually always really favorable when you take a course of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy for vestibular issues has a large success rate, with BPPV being the most responsive. Physiotherapy has been shown to have good effects on symptoms, eye function, balance, walking, and general confidence. 

People also indicate that receiving physiotherapy early on is crucial and improves success rates. Therefore, if you experience vertigo or dizzy symptoms, schedule a consultation with a licensed physiotherapist specializing in vertigo.