Life in a spin? There's a way out of this...
- Chris Shorter (Physiotherapist)
- Mar 20, 2018
- 2 min read
Physiotherapy can be highly effective for the diagnosis and treatment of dizziness and balance rehabilitation.
Dizziness can be very limiting to our lives impacting on our ability to move normally and has a huge impact on our emotional wellbeing. It often leads to falls and causes anxiety and avoidance of many activities. Many people live very restricted lives with this condition.
Other causes of dizziness can be ruled out during assessment, such as postural hypotension (blood pressure drop that occurs during a change in posture) or VBI – vertebrobasilar insufficiency where the blood supply to the brain gets temporarily blocked by neck movements.
Postural hypotension and VBI can often be medically managed, and if these problems are found during screening we would provide advice and then refer to your GP for a further check-up.
If dizziness if caused by the inner ears (a problem with our peripheral vestibular system) physiotherapy can be highly effective. For example: the Epleys technique is a postural movement technique than can reverse dizziness in some cases. Specific eye and head exercises are often used to challenge the balance system in order to improve it. A graded exposure to dizziness is also recommended called habituation exercises, the system will only reset itself if we expose ourselves to dizziness, this is done gradually at a rate the patient can handle.
Factors such as stress and anxiety are also considered in this holistic process of assessment and treatment, as in my clinical experience dizziness is often linked with times of stress, poor health or even bereavement. Addressing these factors or even making the links to your dizziness symptoms can also play a big part in recovery.
If your life is limited by dizziness or you have a problem with your balance or you are prone to falls; have you considered physiotherapy as a treatment to improve this? Book an assessment with me to find out more. Call me on 07779263457 email at chris@mind-body-rehab.com.
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