By Heather Gill, PT
Winter is here, and while many people enjoy seeing snow fall, its arrival can put individuals with balance difficulties in a precarious position. Balance loss and falls are often caused by slippery or uneven surfaces, trip hazards or even dizziness. Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialty of physical therapy that focuses on reducing a person’s risk of falls. The purpose of vestibular rehabilitation is to improve the body’s use of its senses for balance.
There are three goals of vestibular rehabilitation:
- Reduce dizziness and visual symptoms
- Improve balance and gait
- Increase general activity tolerance
Because the inner ear (vestibular system) is necessary for balance, improving it helps prevent falls when the other two systems (vision and somatosensory) are challenged. For example, walking on uneven surfaces in your yard makes your feet work harder to feel the ground, and getting up in the night to walk to the bathroom can impair your vision. Your inner ear is necessary to keep you up and moving safely. With vestibular rehabilitation, several types of exercises are used in addition to strengthening and balance training:
Canalith Repositioning
In some people, the canaliths (also known as “rocks” or “crystals”) in the inner ear can come loose and cause vertigo, imbalance, falls, nausea, disequilibrium and motion sensitivity. These crystals are relatively easily repositioned with the use of a canalith repositioning maneuver, such as the Eply or Appiani. Symptoms can be resolved in as little as one treatment, and any residual symptoms are easily corrected with exercises.
Habituation
When the eyes and the inner ear stop coordinating correctly, motion sensitivity, vertigo, imbalance, disequilibrium and falls can result. Habituation exercises are used to train the brain to coordinate the balance systems and reduce symptoms. Each exercise is specifically targeted to an individual’s symptoms and reduces them over time.
Adaptation
When the inner ear is affected, it can affect the reflex between the eyes and inner ear (vestibulo-ocular reflex). This can cause symptoms of disequilibrium, imbalance, oscillopsia (bouncing vision), and motion sensitivity. Exercises to improve the reflex are very effective in reducing symptoms and improving balance.
The first priority of vestibular rehabilitation is to keep people moving safely to avoid falling. People with balance difficulties, vertigo, motion sensitivity and difficulty walking can all benefit from this type of therapy to be safer and more active no matter what the weather brings!
For more information in regards to vestibular rehabilitation and balance, contact Accelerated Rehabilitation – Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine— at 309-550-7888. They are located at 3714 N. Prospect Avenue, Peoria, IL. Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers — Putting Patients First.
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