Vestibular rehabilitation

Improving balance and mitigating challenges related to vertigo and dizziness through tailored physical therapies.

VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION AT SHELTERING ARMS INSTITUTE

Individualized therapies, compassionate care

Physical therapists certified in vestibular rehabilitation at Sheltering Arms Institute provide comprehensive vestibular screenings, therapeutic care plans, exercise training, and support to help individuals manage vertigo and related dizziness.

Understanding underlying causes

Medication, infection, inner ear problems, debris in ear canals, and brain injuries are common causes of vestibular disorders, which can present in a variety of ways.

  • Changes in vision, particularly when moving, walking, or riding in a car
  • Difficulty focusing
  • Dizziness brought on by head or body movements
  • Dizziness or discomfort triggered by busy environments and/or observing busy patterns or imagery
  • Motion sensitivity or discomfort
  • Nausea brought on by movement or environmental movement
  • Noise sensitivity, reduction in hearing, or tinnitus
  • Vertigo, or a sense of spinning
  • Vision that jumps or bounces
  • Changes in vision, particularly when moving, walking, or riding in a car
  • Difficulty focusing
  • Dizziness brought on by head or body movements
  • Dizziness or discomfort triggered by busy environments and/or observing busy patterns or imagery
  • Motion sensitivity or discomfort
  • Nausea brought on by movement or environmental movement
  • Noise sensitivity, reduction in hearing, or tinnitus
  • Vertigo, or a sense of spinning
  • Vision that jumps or bounces

TREATMENT

Reducing symptoms, improving function

Our vestibular experts apply a variety of exercises and techniques while employing the latest technologies to assess and treat vestibular disorders.

Compensation

Compensation techniques teach the brain to use and strengthen other senses to substitute for vestibular system deficiencies.

Adaptation

Adaptation exercises induce input into the vestibular system and increase its ability to make changes in response to input.

Habituation

Habituation exercises treat symptoms from self-motion and visual stimuli, teaching the brain to ignore abnormal or overactive signals.

VESTIBULAR THERAPY FAQs

Understanding vestibular therapy

The vestibular system is a sensory system in the inner ear that is responsible for providing the brain with information about motion, head position, and spatial orientation. It helps individuals maintain balance, stabilize the head and body during movement, and maintain posture.

A vestibular disorder is a disturbance in the body’s balance system. When a disease or injury damages the vestibular system, you can develop a vestibular disorder. Vestibular disorders can occur at any age, but are most common with increased age. Some common causes of vestibular disorders are medication, infection, inner-ear problems, debris in ear canals, and brain injuries.

Common vestibular disorders include: 

  • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
  • Vestibular neuritis
  • Vestibular labyrinthitis
  • Vestibular migraine (VM)
  • Persistent postural perceptual dizziness (PPPD)
  • Meniere’s disease
  • Superior canal dehiscence
  • Vestibular loss due to medication toxicity
  • Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma)
  • Age-related vestibular dysfunction
  • Mal de Debarquement Syndrome (MdDS)
  • CANVAS syndrome
  • Endolymphatic hydrops

As defined by the Vestibular Disorders Association, vestibular physical therapy is a specialized form of rehabilitation intended to alleviate problems caused by vestibular disorders, primarily vertigo and dizziness, gaze instability, and/or imbalance and falls. A customized exercise plan is developed from the findings of a clinical assessment, laboratory testing, and imaging studies as well as input from patients.

Sheltering Arms Institute’s Hanover, Bon Air, and Reynolds locations offer vestibular therapy.

Meclizine is an oral prescription prescribed by a doctor used to treat vertigo. It is an antihistamine that blocks chemicals in the brain that control balance, nausea, and vomiting. It is important to take this medication as your doctor prescribes since Meclizine is effective in dampening the symptoms of vertigo, but it does not treat the underlying problem. Therefore, you can still have an unidentified balance impairment even if you feel better, which may increase risk of falling. 

It is important to seek vestibular therapy from a skilled professional to identify and address the root cause and reduce vertigo symptoms for the long term.

Start your Journey

Learn more about vestibular therapy at Sheltering Arms Institute

Contact a specialist at Sheltering Arms Institute to learn more about how you can gain more freedom in your everyday life.