Vestibular Rehabilitation Physiotherapy

Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized area physiotherapy designed to treat those suffering from vertigo, arising from a vestibular disorder.

It is important to note that vertigo is NOT the same as dizziness. These two terms are commonly used interchangeably, but are not synonymous. While vertigo is the sensation in which the world is spinning around the individual, dizziness is the sensation in which the individual themselves is spinning.

The most common pathology, accounting for 33% of all vestibular disorders and affecting 80% of individuals over the age of 65, is called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). BPPV arises when tiny crystals situated inside the inner ear become dislodged and position themselves in the inappropriate inner ear canal. When patients with BPPV move, the incorrectly positioned crystals affect their inner ear’s movement interpretation, which causes a miscommunication between their inner ear and their visual input, resulting in the illusion that the world around them is spinning (vertigo).

What are the symptoms?

Many patients describe movement-associated symptoms: they experience vertigo during or after looking up or down, going from lying to sitting or vise versa, or even rolling over in bed. Other symptoms may include poor balance, difficulty reading or watching TV, headaches, vision disturbances, motion sensitivity and/or noise or light sensitivity.

Solutions

The good news is that BPPV is treatable! Using manual therapy and specific coordinated movements, our specially trained physiotherapists can help resolve symptoms (in as little as one session).

Book online, or call to book with one of our therapists who specialize in this area: Holly Mallari (Coal Harbour location) or Travis Amyott (Metrotown location).

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