The Comprehensive Vestibular Disorder Treatment

Vestibular Disorders & Dizziness

The vestibular system is the body’s own ‘spirit level’ and gives our brain the ability to perceive information related to where we are in space and where the gravity field is. This allows us to maintain balance. The system involves the inner ear (known as the vestibular apparatus) and links up the antigravity muscles and the visual information that is processed together by our brain. When parts of this system are damaged, we can feel dizziness, vertigo, lightheaded or off balanced.

Vestibular disorders are often misdiagnosed and under-treated and require the attention of physio for dizziness. This is because they share lots of overlapping symptoms, which can be difficult to analyse where there may be multiple contributing factors. They can also share symptoms with other conditions such as stroke and head or neck injury. This includes, but are not limited to:

Labyrinthitis and vestibular neuritis
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Meniere's disease
Perilymph fistula
Secondary endolymphatic hydrops
Acoustic neuroma
Enlarged vestibular aquaduct syndrome
Mal de Barquement syndrome

Common challenges:

Illusion that you are moving
Dizziness
Vertigo
Drifting to one side
Feeling like you are rocking on a boat
Headache
Light sensitivity
Noise sensitivity
Lightedness
Neck or jaw pain
Anxiety and depression

The role of a neurological physiotherapist in vestibular disorders:

Neurological physiotherapists are physiotherapists with additional training and expertise in treating problems related to the brain, spinal cord, inner ear and nerves. Many of our dizziness therapists at our vestibular physio Melbourne practice have undergone additional postgraduate training in the assessment and treatment of vestibular disorders. Some conditions can be diagnosed and managed by neurological physiotherapists alone while others will require further testing from neurologists or ENT specialists. One can locate a specialist in their neighbourhood by searching terms like “vestibular physiotherapist near me”.

Even mild to moderate levels of dizziness can be hugely debilitating. Research has shown that many types of vestibular conditions benefit from vestibular rehabilitation.

What our skilled therapists and vertigo specialist in Melbourne can offer:

Our vestibular physiotherapists can perform clinical tests to help guide you towards a diagnosis. These include:

Observation of the static eye
Observation of the facial muscles
Observation of the eye when tracking a slow moving object
Observation of the eye when tracking a fast moving object
Vestibular ocular reflex (VOR) testing
Head thrust test
Dynamic visual acuity test
Movement and positional testing
Balance and walking assessments
Examination of the neck, sensory systems, range of motion and coordination as needed

Some tests are more specific than others, but they all help form the clinical picture of the individual’s problem from an anatomical to a functional level. For the majority of cases, these assessments will be enough to formulate a working diagnosis.

With this thorough assessment and clinical reasoning, some cases of vestibular dysfunction can be treated conservatively and effectively within a few sessions. Once the underlying problem has been treated, home exercises can be done to control symptoms and improve balance in a graded manner so you return to your usual way of life.