Vertigo is the feeling that the room is spinning around you, and it can easily lead to a loss of balance. This issue can be caused by several factors. For instance, head injuries such as a concussion can cause vertigo. This condition can also be caused by inner ear issues and nerve damage from strokes. Vertigo is something that physical therapy can help treat, and there’s a specialized type of therapy called vestibular therapy that’s used to treat vertigo. Here are three benefits that vestibular therapy near you can offer:
1. Decreased risk of falling
Vertigo can lead to an increased risk of falling, and this is particularly dangerous for older patients, who are more likely to break a bone if they fall down. Finding vestibular therapy near you can help decrease your risk of falling.
Physical therapists can help you get this benefit from vestibular therapy by including gait and balance training in your therapy plan. This type of training will focus on muscle and joint issues that are affecting the way you walk. For example, a therapist can help you learn strengthening exercises for leg and hip muscles. These stronger muscles can help you maintain your balance better when walking. Increased muscle strength can also increase your general stability, which could help decrease the frequency of vertigo episodes.
2. Improve gaze stability
Another benefit that vestibular therapy near you can provide is improved gaze stability. As you might imagine, it’s very difficult to see objects clearly when the room is spinning around you. This is why many vestibular therapy providers will use gaze stabilization as part of your therapy. These exercises are particularly helpful for vertigo caused by nerve damage.
One example of a common gaze stabilization is the fixed gaze with head movement exercise. To do this exercise, the therapist will ask you to keep your eyes fixed on a stationary object. In some cases, the object might be the therapist’s finger. Once your eyes are locked onto the object, the therapist will have you turn your head while keeping your eyes on the object.
3. Decreased vertigo frequency
Decreasing the frequency of vertigo is yet another benefit that vestibular therapy near you can offer. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a type of vertigo that’s caused by loose calcium carbonate crystals in the inner ear. Using a series of head movements called the Epley maneuver, a physical therapist can reposition the loose crystals. In turn, this can help decrease the frequency of vertigo symptoms.
Find help with vestibular therapy near you at Panther Physical Therapy
At Panther Physical Therapy, we’re proud to offer therapy options for many injuries and medical conditions. From our three clinics in the north Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suburbs, our team offers free screenings to new patients. These screenings can help you learn the cause of your symptoms, and they provide us with the information we need to build the best treatment plan for you.
Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an appointment to begin your therapy with us.