An episode of vertigo involves feeling like the room is spinning around you. It can also be hard to focus your eyes on objects, and some people might become unstable and fall down.
Unfortunately, there are a large number of people who have experienced such an episode. One population-based medical study found that up to 20% of adults have dizziness and vertigo annually. Often, the root cause of vertigo is a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Physical therapy can be a beneficial treatment option for this cause of vertigo.
Physical therapy for vertigo can offer these three benefits
Physical therapy for vertigo is more commonly called vestibular rehab. This type of physiotherapy can be very effective for BPPV; it can also help people with other vertigo-causing conditions. For instance, vestibular rehab can help people with vertigo related to a stroke. It can also help people with Meniere’s disease or who have suffered a head injury.
When used to treat BPPV, vestibular rehab can offer three important benefits:
- Faster recovery — BPPV is caused by calcium carbonate crystals finding their way into the semicircular canals. The movement of these crystals tricks the brain and leads to the characteristic spinning sensation.
A vestibular rehab technique called canalith repositioning can quickly remove the troublesome crystals and reduce BPPV symptoms. One study reports that 91% of posterior canal BPPV cases were addressed in two repositioning sessions or less.
- Helps reduce recurrence risk — People who have had BPPV once are also more likely to get it again. In fact, it’s reported that up to 44% of patients are likely to have a recurrence of BPPV within two years after successful initial case treatment.
Your physical therapist can show you how to perform Brandt-Daroff exercises to help reduce your recurrence risk. A study on the regular use of these exercises shows that they led to a 21% decrease in BPPV recurrence.
- Effects are long lasting — Another important benefit of vestibular rehab is that its effects last a long time. One study of this type of therapy reveals that patients still had measurable benefits up to six months after their final treatment session.
Border Therapy Services offers beneficial physical therapy for vertigo
Keen to find the most beneficial physical therapy for your vertigo? Our Border Therapy Services specialists are primed to help you find effective vestibular rehab. We’ll start by doing a free screening to determine the root cause of your vertigo. Next, our physical therapists will build you an individualized vestibular rehab plan that’s designed to offer all the benefits discussed above. We can even help you get care for vertigo right in your own home, and it’s our at-home care and virtual therapy services that make this possible.
Contact our team today for more information about our vestibular rehab services or to schedule an initial appointment.