What to expect when getting physical therapy treatment for vertigo

Many people believe that physical therapy is only beneficial for treating injuries and pain management. But it can also help people improve their balance and coordination, which could make a big difference for people who experience dizziness or vertigo.

Dizziness and vertigo go hand in hand, and they affect up to 56% of the world’s population.

Read on to learn about the ins and out of vertigo, from the causes and symptoms to physical therapy treatment options.

What is vertigo?

People often confuse dizzy spells with vertigo. While dizziness makes you feel unsteady and lightheaded, vertigo is a less common type of dizziness that can cause a spinning sensation. 

There are two kinds of vertigo. Peripheral vertigo is the most common type, and it stems from inner ear problems. On the other hand, central vertigo comes from issues in the brain, often caused by urgent medical conditions, such as a stroke or brain tumor.

Both kinds of vertigo can interfere with your daily life, as sporadic sensations of dizziness and spinning can result in accidents and injuries.

Symptoms of vertigo

While the main sign of vertigo is the sensation that your surroundings are spinning, there are a few other symptoms that can accompany it, including:

• Loss of balance.
• Nausea.
• Headaches.
• Increased sweating.
• Buzzing in your ears.
• Loss of hearing.
• Involuntary eye movements.

Possible causes of vertigo

There are a few reasons why a person may experience vertigo, many of which relate to other medical conditions. 

Since vertigo comes from the inner ear, the causes often stem from issues in the vestibular system, which is your sensory system that maintains your balance.

If you’ve experienced vertigo, possible causes include:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo — While the name may sound like a type of vertigo, BPPV is the main cause of the sensation. It can be triggered by rapid head movements, resulting in a short yet intense spinning sensation.
• Head or neck injury — If you’ve experienced trauma to your head or neck that caused damage to your vestibular system, you may experience vertigo as a symptom.
• Migraines — Some people experience vertigo alongside migraines. These bouts of vertigo can last up to several hours.
• Meniere’s disease — This inner ear problem causes a buildup of excessive fluid. This can cause sporadic bouts of vertigo.
• Vestibular neuritis — This is an infection of the vestibular nerve that can cause constant vertigo.

What to expect from physical therapy treatments for vertigo

Physical therapy can help people with a variety of different injuries or conditions, including balance and gait disorders. There are a few different methods that a physical therapist can try in order to improve your balance and gait and decrease the severity of your vertigo. The physical therapy techniques for vertigo could include a mix of hands-on methods and exercises.

Five physical therapy treatments for vertigo are:

1. Balance training — Vertigo usually causes you to lose your balance, possibly resulting in an injury. A physical therapist can walk you through exercises that will help you control your posture and maintain your balance and center of gravity while moving.
2. Manual therapy — By using hands-on techniques, a physical therapist can make small corrections to your posture and stance to improve your balance.
3. Vestibular rehabilitation — Since the spinning sensation stems from vestibular system issues, recovering from those issues is essential for decreasing the risk of vertigo in the future. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy, or VRT, involves exercises like habituation, which reduces the negative reaction to visual stimuli that causes dizziness during quick and frequent head movements. A therapist can also recommend gaze stabilization exercises to help control eye movement during head motions.
4. Core strengthening — A physical therapist can walk you through exercises and stretches that will strengthen your core to improve your center of gravity. This not only decreases your risk of vertigo, but also helps to prevent injury while standing, walking or running.
5. Canalith repositioning — This is a noninvasive procedure that involves a physical therapist maneuvering your head and neck to move the inner ear deposits that are affecting your balance and visual perception.

Alliance PTP can help you find the right PT clinic to treat your vertigo 

Physical therapy is one of the best ways to treat vertigo and prevent future bouts of the spinning sensation. If you’re ready to find physical therapy for vertigo, we’re here to help.

At Alliance Physical Therapy Partners, we’re proudly bringing together physical therapy practices across the country to help people get the high-quality PT they need. 

Want to see a physical therapist in person? We can put you in touch with an Alliance PTP partner that’s close to you and that can help you with vertigo treatment. 

Not keen on in-person PT sessions or not close to an Alliance PTP partner? No worries. We also offer effective and affordable virtual physical therapy through our Agile Virtual Physical Therapy platform. 

Come find help for your injury or chronic condition today!