Vestibular & Balance Rehabilitation

Vestibular and Balance rehabilitation is typically part of physical therapy but it deserves to be in it’s own section! Vertigo, dizziness, light headedness, feeling unstable on our feet, and losing balance/falling are some of the symptoms and functional limitations addressed in vestibular and balance rehabilitation. The vestibular apparatus or our inner ear system is the organ that helps resolves the discrepancies of the input we receive from our world.

We as humans are at the mercy of how our sensory system interacts with our world. When there is a dysfunction on how we perceive and take in the world it can be so physically and emotionally debilitating! I can differentially diagnose whether your balance problem is related to your brain, vestibular or inner ear system, neck, proprioceptive miscommunication at the joints, weakness and/or the combination of any of the above. If my clients have not be screened yet by their physician, I may have my client’s return to their physician for further testing/examination.

Treatment is based on what body region is driving the symptoms and balance dysfunction. I tailor the client's home program based on my findings. I will educate clients on their condition and answer their questions. Treatment options include but are not limited to: the Epley maneuver for BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), vestibular habituation and adaptation exercises; oculomotor and visual exercises, treatment to the cervical spine, therapeutic exercise, neuromuscular re-education and Craniosacral therapy (CST). Since being certified in CST, this technique has been an integral part of my vestibular rehabilitation treatment protocol. CST can improve symptoms by balancing the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system, (PNS) and addressing fascial contributions. Through these techniques, physiological symptoms such as nausea, light headedness, and generalized discomfort and anxiety from feeling unsteady, can shift and improve, and/or resolve.