Vestibular Therapy: Dizziness and Vertigo Treatment in Glenwood Springs,
Carbondale and Willits, Eagle, New Castle and Silt
Helping you find relief from dizziness
Dizziness can be an incredibly uncomfortable and disabling symptom that
may interfere with many daily activities as well as increase the risk
of falling. It can make you feel disoriented, and may come with nausea
or headaches. There are several different causes of dizziness, and vestibular
therapy can help with many of them. Our skilled and compassionate team
of therapists at Valley View Hospital are committed to delivering superior
care by accurately assessing and treating the root cause of your dizziness.
To learn more about vestibular therapy and how it may benefit you, reach
out to one of our rehab locations at one of the numbers below:
Vertigo: a common and treatable cause of dizziness
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is a type of dizziness often
felt as an intense spinning sensation when changing position, such as
lying down or rolling over in bed. It will affect about half of adults
over 50 at some point in their lifetime.
What Causes BPPV? The inner ear contains calcium crystals which help sense head position.
Sometimes, calcium crystals become dislodged and end up in one or more
of the semicircular canals of the inner ear, causing BPPV. Movement of
these crystals when the head moves is what triggers the dizziness, imbalance
and, for some people, even nausea.
How is BPPV treated? Treatment usually involves rolling the head in a precise series of maneuvers
designed to move the calcium deposits out of the semi-circular canals.
Your therapist will look for nystagmus, a characteristic “beating”
movement of the eyes, in specific head positions to diagnose BPPV and
determine the correct series of head movements to treat it.
Vestibular therapy is highly effective and is the preferred treatment for
BPPV. With treatment, symptoms can often be resolved in just a few visits.
Vestibular therapy for other kinds of dizziness
There are many other causes of dizziness, including problems with vision,
the neck, sensation in the feet, the inner ear or its nerve. Other causes
of dizziness may be due to problems in the parts of the brain that control
balance, or even related to migraine headaches.
The goal of vestibular therapy is to reduce symptoms of dizziness and help
improve your balance. Treatment may include:
Eye exercises to improve your ability to coordinate eye and head movement
Balance exercises to improve your safety and steadiness while standing
and walking
Habituation exercises to reduce motion sensitivity
Core strengthening and cardiovascular conditioning to improve systemic
resilience and functional capacity
A physical therapy referral is required from your health care provider
for vestibular therapy. It is important to discuss your symptoms with
your health care provider as some of causes of dizziness are best managed
by a combination of vestibular therapy and medication, and with coordination
between specialists which may also include neurology, ENT, and vision
professionals.
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