What are types of rehabilitation?

Rehabilitation therapy is one of the many treatments of Vertigo & dizziness. Also called Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, it’s recommended to Vertigo patients to help their bodies adapt better to the loss of the natural coordination between the brain & the vestibular system. 

Vestibular Rehabilitation therapy is an exercise-based rehabilitation program that is designed by experts to help the body deal better with Vertigo attacks & dizziness spells. 

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapies have been credited with successfully helping Vertigo patients compensate for the loss in the natural balance system of the body, & for organically reducing the intensity of Vertigo & dizziness spells experienced by the patient.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapies can be categorized into two primary types: 

• Physical Therapy for Vestibular Hypofunction, 

• Canalith Repositioning Therapy for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV)

Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction is characterized by damage to the inner ear nerve which is responsible for carrying the nervous inputs from the inner ear to the brain.

This can occur either in a single ear or both.

This can lead to dizziness, Vertigo, unsteadiness, lightheadedness, falls, & disorientation among other things.

Physical Therapy for Vestibular Hypofunction includes four different types of exercises that are performed under the guidance & supervision of experts. 

These exercises are:

• Gaze Stabilization Exercises: The primary goal of these exercises is to improve the patient’s vision during head movements. These also have been shown to be effective in reducing dizziness & improving unsteadiness in a patient.
  This exercise is carried out under expert supervision, & involves the patients performing various head movements while maintaining their gaze on a fixed object.
  Doing these exercises multiple times daily helps rehabilitate the patient’s sense of head-eye coordination & reinstate balance. 

• Habituation Exercises: The primary goal of these exercises is to reduce dizziness and Vertigo spells. These include the patients watching things that move rapidly, or perform certain head movements that bring about dizziness.
  Once the patient performs these exercises multiple times over a length of time, these feelings of dizziness & Vertigo go away overtime, & the body learns to compensate for this loss in setting balance. 

• Balance & Gait Exercises: The goal of these exercises is to improve the body’s steadiness & prevent falling over while standing or moving activities.
  These exercises include a variety of customized balance & posture exercises to help the body maintain a steady balance while performing certain exercises.
  
  

• Endurance walking or aerobic Exercises: These exercises are important as in most cases of Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction, patients are told to avoid walking, running, or jogging to avoid the dangers of a fall or an injury due to dizziness.
  These exercises involve the patients generating natural endurance & stability for walking & performing other aerobic exercises, so that overtime, their body compensates for the loss in balance automatically. 

Patients who experience difficulty with their vision during certain head movements, should perform the gaze stability exercises at least three times per day, each session lasting at least 12-20 minutes. 

Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers are used to treat Peripheral Vertigo arising from Benign paroxysmal Positional Vertigo(BPPV).

BPPV occurs when the calcium carbonate crystals in the inner ear mistakenly get deposited in the semicircular canal, causing problems with sending accurate balance signals to the brain causing dizziness & Vertigo. 

Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers target these dislodged crystals in the semicircular canal & reinstate them to their original position in the inner ear. 

Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers include well-known Vertigo exercises like the Epley Maneuver, the Semont-Foster Maneuver, the Semont-Toupet Maneuver, the half-somersault maneuver, the Brandt-Daroff exercises, among others. 

• Epley Maneuver: 

The Epley Maneuver is a highly recommended & effective exercise for Vertigo. 

To perform it, follow the below mentioned steps:

• Sit on your bed, place your legs straight ahead & put a pillow behind you. 

• Turn your head to the left 45 degrees. 

• Quickly lie back placing your shoulders on the pillow, & hold for 30 seconds. 

• Turn your head to the right 90 degrees without lifting it up, & hold for 30 seconds.

• Turn your head & body another 90 degrees to the right without lifting it up, & hold for 30 seconds. 

• Now, sit straight on the edge of the bed. 

Perform the maneuver three times a day, repeating everyday until the symptoms cease. 

These steps are for when you have left-ear BPPV. In case of right ear BPPV, perform these steps on the opposite side. 

• Semont Maneuver: 

The Semont Maneuver is also called the liberatory maneuver, & is another highly recommended Vertigo exercise.
To perform this maneuver, your doctor will make you follow the below mentioned steps: 

• Sit on the edge of your bed & turn your head 45 degrees to the right. 

• Quickly drop to your left side until your head is on the bed, & hold for at least 30 seconds. 

• Now move your body to the right side in one movement, without changing the angle of your head. 

• Hold this position for about 30 seconds, & slowly return to your original position. 

In case you have right-ear BPPV,  turn your head in the right direction & start on your left side. 

This maneuver should provide relief after performing only once.

Looking for Vertigo, ear, & dizziness experts around you? Visit Dr.Anita Bhandari’s vertigo & Ear Clinic today. 

Know more about them here. 

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