Vestibular Rehabilitation
The Vestibular System: Maintaining Balance and Equilibrium
The vestibular system is an intricate network of structures within the inner ear, responsible for maintaining balance and equilibrium. This remarkable sensory system detects motion, head position, and spatial orientation, thus allowing us to articulate movements with precision and navigate through our environment seamlessly.
Functioning in tandem with our visual and proprioceptive senses, the vestibular system helps us maintain stability while standing, walking, running, and engaging in various physical activities. It facilitates the coordination of eye and head movements, ensuring our vision remains clear and focused, even while in motion. Furthermore, this system plays a pivotal role in postural control, allowing us to maintain an upright position against gravity.
While the vestibular system typically functions seamlessly, occasionally, disorders may arise that disrupt its efficient operation. These disorders can lead to a myriad of distressing symptoms, such as dizziness, vertigo (the room spinning), imbalance, unsteadiness, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. Common vestibular disorders include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular neuritis, and labyrinthitis, among others.
Physiotherapy offers valuable assistance in managing vestibular disorders and resolving associated symptoms. The key to successful vestibular rehabilitation is a proper assessment and diagnosis.
How do we assess the vestibular system?
Informed by your symptoms and presentation, your physiotherapist will utilize a range of specialized tests and assessment techniques to thoroughly evaluate the vestibular system. This includes assessing eye movements, head and body coordination, postural stability, and assessing the response to different stimuli. The assessments aim to identify any abnormalities or dysfunctions within the vestibular system, such as vestibular neuritis, BPPV, or labyrinthitis. With the information gathered from the assessment, the therapist is able to generate an accurate diagnosis and design personalized treatment plans to help alleviate symptoms and restore optimal balance and function.
What to expect?
The rehabilitation program should be designed to target the dysfunctions discovered during the assessment, and will incorporate exercises and maneuvers that facilitate the adaptation and compensation of the vestibular system to disturbances. By aiding in the retraining of the brain to interpret signals from the inner ear correctly, physiotherapy aims to improve balance, reduce dizziness, and enhance overall quality of life.
The Dix-Hallpike position is performed to assess for vertigo.
Don't let vestibular disorders hinder your daily life. Contact Nelson Physiotherapy today and embark on a journey towards reclaiming your equilibrium and enjoying a life free from dizziness and imbalance.