Vertigo & Vestibular Rehabilitation

If you’re experiencing vertigo, dizziness, or balance issues, our experienced team at Allied Physiotherapy Health Group in (Vancouver area) is here to help. Our vestibular rehabilitation therapy can reduce symptoms and improve your quality of life so you can get back to feeling steady and confident.

What is Vertigo?

Vertigo is the sensation you have when you feel that you, or the environment around you, is spinning.  It can be mild enough to barely notice, severe enough to limit your daily activity or even limit your ability to get up.

What Are the Symptoms of Vertigo?

• A sense of spinning, often the first episode lasting for 30 minutes or more
• Motion intolerance
• Sense of blurred vision or trouble reading with head movement
• The feeling that the eyes need shock absorbers.
• Possible hearing loss in some instances
• Imbalance or disequilibrium
• Staggering, veering, swaying or tilting with walking
• Light-headedness
• Nausea/vomiting

The symptoms can last from seconds to hours or days and can occur in sitting, standing, lying or when changing positions.

What Causes Vertigo?

Vertigo and dizziness can affect people of all ages, though it is more common in those over 75. Common causes include:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
• Migraines
• Allergies
• Medication Side Effects
• Neck Dysfunction
• Concussion or Trauma
• Inner Ear Infections

What Is Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT)?

Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based program designed to help you adapt to and overcome dizziness and balance issues. At Allied Physiotherapy , our vestibular physiotherapists use VRT to:

• Reduce Vertigo and Dizziness
• Improve Balance and Stability
• Enhance Visual Focus
• Decrease Fall Risk
• Restore Daily Function and Quality of Life

Your VRT program will include both in-clinic treatments and customized home exercises to maximize results.

Conditions We Treat with Vestibular Rehabilitation

Our vestibular rehabilitation services can help treat:

• Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
• Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis
• Meniere’s Syndrome
• Vestibular Migraines
• Balance Disorders
• Post-Concussion Dizziness

What is BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)?

Positional Vertigo or BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo, resulting from particles that move into the semicircular canals of the inner ear, causing the sensation of spinning when you move your head. It can also cause nausea or imbalance when the head is put into certain positions, lasting only seconds, up to a minute. It can occur at any age but is more commonly seen in older individuals.

The most common positions that reproduce vertigo in BPPV are bending forward, reaching when looking up, lying down and rolling in bed.

Positional Vertigo most often occurs spontaneously but can also occur after a viral inner ear infection, or post-trauma, such as after a fall, post-concussion, and post-Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA).

Individualized Treatment for BPPV at Surrey Hwy 10 Physiotherapy Clinic:

• The most common treatment for BPPV is a repositioning manoeuvre, such as the Epley Manoeuvre. The aim is to remove the particles from the semicircular canals of the inner ear and return them to the vestibule, where the particles do not cause spinning.
• This is not a permanent cure, but a treatment. BPPV may recur in a few months, a few years, or it may never recur. It all depends if particles come lose again.
• You do not need to restrict your positions or movements after treatment, except in cases where there is an increased recurrence rate (10% or less of patients with BPPV).

Our Vestibular Physiotherapists at Surrey Hwy 10 Physio finds that patients often have significant improvement within the first session, with some patients requiring more than 1-2 sessions. Cases of traumatic onset can have a higher recurrence rate and may require additional sessions.

Looking for Vertigo & Vestibular Rehabilitation in Lower Mainland, BC?

We have a team of experienced team accepting new patients at our Allied Physiotherapy Health Group. Let us help you restore mobility, regain functional independence, and achieve overall wellness. Book an online appointment now with us.