Vertigo is the ailment that leaves the person feeling with a sensation of rocking, spinning. It is the most commonly faced problem among people above 60 years of age. In some cases, it can be episodic or continuous. The episodes usually last about two to three times a day or in a month or a year depending upon the severity
Well, medical treatment might help you get relieved of its symptoms but it is less likely that the condition can be entirely solved. One can turn to a trained physical therapist to improve the constraint.
A physical therapist helps in regaining balance, stability and relieves all the muscular tension which has been developed.
Causes
- Infection in the middle or inner ear or tinnitus
- Migraines, Labyrinthitis causing inflammation of the labyrinth if it is infected due to a virus or infection
- Injury to the ear
- Spinal cord injury due to certain accidents and fracture
- Neurological shocks in case of brain damage or severe electric shocks
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. (BPPV) is the common disorder associated with it
What Is BPPV?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a condition in which loose crystals are formed in your ear which tends to move inside once you lift your head to wake up from your bed after lying down. But it is not the only cause of vertigo it might be one of the causes.
Symptoms
- Headache
- The feeling of spinning and rocking
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Inability to stand or walk without a support
- Neck muscle tightness
- Tendency of falling
Dizziness
Dizziness is less likely a major cause and more likely a symptom associated with vertigo or post-surgical weakness, neck injury, or being the side effect of any medication. It is said that 60% of older individuals face the problem of dizziness due to instability in posture balance and gait.
Diagnosis
Post the medical and screening test has been conducted by the doctors and the proper causative factor has been found out, the physical therapist starts to evaluate the case to prepare a proper treatment plan for the same. Physical Therapists help you cure your Vertigo in various ways and here are some advantages of it.
- A Therapists will first evaluate whether the case of vertigo is severe or acute. After determining, they’ll plan the rest of the treatment. If the patient chooses their exercise on their own, without consulting a physical therapist, it can result in causing more harm. Hence, a Vertigo patient should consult a Physical Therapist.
- Once the Physical Therapist examines your case. They’ll provide you with some exercises, to reduce or vanish the symptoms. They’ll also instruct the frequency of exercise according to your age and symptoms, which has to be carried out.
- Re-evaluation of your symptoms is constantly been done by the Physical Therapist, to examine whether the symptoms have reduced or not. According to it the Therapist will change or stop the exercises.
Treatment
Medication
Certain anticholinergics vestibular and anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used.
It is the first line of treatment
Physical Therapy
Its treatment plan is known to be vestibular rehabilitation.
- Habituation – Certain provoking stimuli are presented to the patient by which dizziness is caused. Later the patient functions adapt to the stimuli which prevent the dizziness
- Gaze stabilization- the patient is allowed to gaze at a particular target first with moving the head later without moving the head causing stability reducing the dizziness
- Balance training- the patient is made to stand upright maintaining the balance to avoid the incidence of a fall
It improves balance and stability by correcting the problems due to the under rearrangements.
The physical therapist mostly uses certain maneuvers. Semont maneuver, foster, and Epley are some common names to it.
They give posture correcting exercises which reduces the associated muscle stiffness
Certain stretching movements and simple brisk walking can also be an approach in case of mild dizziness
General fitness exercise could also help
Surgery
Various surgical procedures such as neurectomy and ear canal occlusion are done in case of severity.
What To Expect After The Treatment
Post the treatment a proper amount of restful sleep and hydration is of utmost essential to get definitive results. The treatment will help you get back to stability, reduce the spinning feeling, reduce symptomatic nausea and other effects
Conclusion
Hence concluding with that can vertigo be treated through physical therapy.
Then the answer is yes it can be it will provide supportive care and the absolute resolution to the symptoms. Studies have also found that physical therapy has shortened the period of the treatments soon improving the quality of life and making life less worrisome.
And now with all the advanced methods, diagnostic tools, and extensive programs, that the physical therapist is familiar with, people diagnosed with vertigo need not worry at all but should be alert and get treatment as soon as possible.
