There are many reasons why people suffer from a vestibular disorder. It may occur following a virus, an infection or a heavy knock to the head. In some cases, dizziness can arise when crystals, which form part of the sensory receptors in each ear, are displaced – a condition known as Benign Paroxismal Positional Vertigo or ‘BPPV’. However, it can also occur without any clear cause.

Common symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Feeling off-balance
• Feeling as if you are floating or as if the world is spinning
• Blurred vision
• Disorientation
• Falling or stumbling

Balance is a complex physiological function that relies on the integration of sensory information from the visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems. The brain processes this information to coordinate muscle responses that maintain stability. When any of these systems are compromised, balance can be affected.

Many people wrongly believe that the way to get better is to avoid things that make them dizzy or otherwise provoke their symptoms. In neurological physiotherapy we do not avoid these things, instead we retrain your brain to cope effectively with the actions or environments which provoke your symptoms, so you can become symptom-free and regain your confidence.

At TherapyMatters we will work with you to specifically identify your key problems and to understand the role that they are having in your dizziness and reduced balance. We will design a tailor-made programme of specific vestibular physiotherapy exercises that target these problems and help your vestibular system and brain begin to recover. We know that physiotherapy with this condition can be daunting but we are here to help.

Here are are some of the more common vestibular conditions we treat:

• Benign Paroxismal Positional Vertigo or ‘BPPV’ is a common vestibular disorder that causes vertigo, dizziness, and other symptoms due to debris that has collected within a part of the inner ear. This debris, called otoconia, is made up of small crystals of calcium carbonate (sometimes referred to informally as “ear rocks”). With head movement, the displaced otoconia shift, sending false signals to the brain.
• Vestibular neuritis is a disorders resulting from an infection that inflames the inner ear or the vestibulo-cochlear nerve (the eighth cranial nerve), which connects the inner ear to the brain. Neuritis (inflammation of the nerve) affects the vestibular branch of the vestibulo-cochlear nerve, resulting in dizziness or vertigo symptoms, but no change in hearing.
• Labyrinthitis (inflammation of the labyrinth) occurs when an infection affects both branches of the nerve, resulting in hearing changes as well as dizziness or vertigo.
• Vestibular Hypofunction is a reduction or loss of vestibular function bilaterally results in difficulty maintaining balance, especially when walking in the dark or on uneven surfaces, and a decrease in the ability to see clearly during head movements. Bilateral vestibular hypofunction and loss can occur as secondary condition to a number of different problems.
• Ménière’s disease is a vestibular disorder that produces a recurring set of symptoms as a result of abnormally large amounts of a fluid called endolymph collecting in the inner ear. The exact cause of Ménière’s disease is not known. The four classic symptoms are vertigo, tinnitus, a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, and fluctuating hearing.
• Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury: Trauma to the brain can result in abnormal vestibular system functioning.
• Vestibular Migraines: A migraine disorder usually associated with a headache with their predominant symptom instead being vertigo or dizziness. Vestibular migraine must be addressed in the clinical setting through a holistic, multidisciplinary combination of medical management, lifestyle changes, and rehabilitation techniques to ensure the most complete and lasting benefit to the patient.Please phone us if you have any questions or need to discuss this some more, we are happy to help you and your recovery.