Vestibular Rehabilitation

Your inner ear consists of three semicircular canals that contribute to your sense of balance. Over time, particles in your inner ear can break off and accumulate behind a membrane in the posterior canal. Moving your head in certain directions may cause particles to tug on hair like sensors, triggering a specific type of dizziness called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

To help relieve benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, your therapist uses a series of maneuvers that moves particles from the posterior semicircular canal into the utricle.

Step 1:

Moving from a sitting to a reclining position. Head is extended over the end of the table at a 45-degree angle.

Step 2:

Turning your head to the other side.

Step 3:

Rolling over onto your side. Head is slightly angled while looking down at the floor.

Steps 4 and 5:

Returning carefully to a sitting position. Tilting your chin down.

Vestibular Rehabilitation may offer relief of symptoms for persons suffering from an inner ear disorder. Vestibular Rehabilitation is an exercise program designed by specially trained therapists to help a person compensate for a loss or imbalance within the vestibular system.

The program may include balance activities and/or eye movement exercises. The balance activities help the person maximize the use of the remaining vestibular function, their sight, and the sensation in their feet to keep their balance. When there is an imbalance in the vestibular system a person may also experience dizziness because the reflexes that help with eye movement have been changed. The eye exercises help the person's brain learn to re-program these reflexes. Because each patient's symptoms and needs are different, it is very important that the program be individually designed to meet those needs.