Health Wellness

Vertigo Victory Route: Navigating Relief With Physical Therapy

woman in blue dress touching her head

Have you recently seen a doctor because you consistently feel dizzy and it is impacting your life? In addition to other treatments, your physician may have suggested that you seek out physical therapy to help with your dizziness. You may wonder how injury recovery strategies can reduce your dizziness. This is what you should know about vertigo and physical therapy.

Vertigo Defined

Vertigo is a condition that makes you feel like the world is spinning. You may experience balance issues, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, motion sickness, headaches and hearing loss as symptoms of this condition. Unfortunately, in most cases, vertigo is a symptom of another health condition.

Some vertigo is peripheral. This means that it is the result of a problem with the vestibular nerve in your inner ear. Most vertigo cases are peripheral. Central vertigo is the result of a brain infection, injury or stroke. This less common condition has substantial symptoms, such as walking challenges and significant instability.

Vertigo may be the result of migraine headaches, stroke, diabetes, head injuries, shingles in the ear, inner ear fluid leaking, ear surgery, arrhythmia and too much bed rest. You can also experience vertigo as a result of multiple sclerosis, brain disease, acoustic neuroma, syphilis, ataxia, low blood pressure, otosclerosis and hyperventilation. In addition, the tiny calcium carbonate crystals in your inner ear can move out of place, causing dizziness.

young woman holding her head with her eyes closed
Photo by Kübra Kuzu

Overcoming Vertigo: Strategies for Success

If you have vertigo, you can be at risk of falls. You can fracture your bones and injure yourself in other ways when you have a dizzy spell. You also may not have the ability to drive safely or do other daily activities, impacting your quality of life.

To regain control of your life, your physician may consider several treatments. If your inner ear crystals have moved, your physician can quickly return them to their proper location. They can also teach you how to do this yourself. Motion sickness medications can also improve your balance and reduce dizziness. Neck injuries, brain tumors and other conditions may require surgery.

Finally, vestibular rehabilitation therapy can help you overcome common symptoms, which is where physical therapy Ahwatukee can help.

selective focus photo of woman wearing white sweater
Photo by Elina Sazonova

Physical Therapists Path to Relief

A physical therapist can analyze your vertigo causes and develop a customized treatment plan that can help you recover your life. These professionals will review your diagnosis to ensure it is correct. Then, they will create an exercise program will work best for you. VRT is one such program used to help you recover from head injuries, issues with your central nervous system and unknown causes.

Your therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen your muscles and help you address some of your dizziness. In addition, these professionals can guide you so you don’t overuse your exercises on the days when you feel up to it because you may experience fatigue, which can exacerbate your dizziness. You will also receive training on exercises and treatments you can do at home.  

Vertigo is a condition that can have a major negative impact on your life. Talk to the professionals at Arrowhead Physical Therapy to get your case review and learn if they can help.

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading