Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular or inner ear problems can cause dizziness, vertigo, nausea, unsteadiness or impaired balance, and can often severely limit a person’s day-to-day functioning. Vestibular rehabilitation includes exercises designed to minimize these symptoms, improve balance and postural stability, and/or retrain the central nervous system to adapt to the inner ear dysfunction.
After a comprehensive evaluation of balance, gait and baseline function, including some tests which may provoke these symptoms, an individualized program is developed. The treatment program may include:
- Balance and posture exercises
- Gait training and consultation regarding assistive devices
- Repositioning maneuvers
- Habituation, substitution or adaptation exercises
- Instructions in a home program
Patients often can be treated and receive instruction in a home program in 1-2 visits. However, if an individual has had limited function for an extended period of time, a longer course of therapy may be needed. This is due to the fact that over time the body learns to compensate by developing abnormal movement patterns.
