Dizziness and Balance
People with vestibular disorders often experience vertigo, dizziness, visual disturbance, and/or imbalance. Secondary problems can occur such as nausea and/or vomiting, reduced ability to focus or concentrate, and fatigue. This can all impact on a person’s quality of life leading them to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle to avoid worsening, dizziness and imbalance.
Many people respond extremely well to vestibular and balance rehabilitation with a reduction or complete eradication of their symptoms. After our treatment, they can return to their normal activities with improved confidence and wellbeing.
How can physiotherapy help in the treatment dizziness problems?
Evidence, and our experience, has shown that vestibular rehabilitation can be extremely effective in improving symptoms related to many vestibular (inner ear/balance) disorders. Treatment is largely exercise based on an individually designed exercise programme to reduce vertigo, dizziness, improve gaze stability and reduce imbalance and falls.
If BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) is present a treatment technique called the Epley Manoeuvre is used, this treatment technique is successful in more than 80% of BPPV cases. The good news is BPPV can be easily identified and treated by our vestibular specialist physiotherapist Anna Bennett.
How can physiotherapy help in the treatment of non vestibular balance problems?
treatment for other balance disorders, is largely an exercise-based programme often combined with hands on treatment, designed for the individual. People often come to us for physiotherapy treatment for balance problems reporting a “lack of confidence“. Recent scientific research suggests that a fear of falls is the strongest predictor of falls. Therefore, we would advise anyone who feels they are vulnerable to falling to be proactive in seeking treatment and advice.
Balance problems are often caused by a combination of factors. To treat them effectively and reduce imbalance, trips and falls, physios at Leeds Bradford Neurophysiotherapy:
- Identify the systems that have reduced function,
- target treatment to improve those systems
- teach strategies to compensate for reduced balance.
Many of our physiotherapists have a particular interest in the improvement of balance. The goal of vestibular and balance physiotherapy is to use a problem-oriented approach and perform customised exercises to address each person’s specific requirements. Therefore, before an exercise program can be designed, a comprehensive clinical examination is needed to identify problems related to the disorder.
We would be happy to give free advice over the phone and arrange an assessment and personalised treatment, call us on:
See our specialist vestibular physiotherapist – Anna Hildreth’s talk on vestibular physiotherapy that she prepared for final year physiotherapy students…
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