Vertigo & Dizziness

Vertigo and dizziness are symptoms of Vestibular dysfunction and a result of sensory imbalance in the inner ear. It can be caused by many different conditions and commonly present with associated imbalance, blurred vision and headaches. The most common type is called BPPV and it can be assessed and treated by Physiotherapists with the appropriate training.

Other types include, vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis, Meniere’s disease and neck problems and less commonly are also caused by head injury and whiplash type injuries and may require more specialised assessment with a Neurologist.

BPPV: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

The symptoms of vertigo include repeated episodes of positional vertigo, or dizziness that causes the sensation of spinning resulting from certain head positions or head movements such as turning to look one way or the other. It may feel like motion sickness but only stronger and often causes nausea and disturbed vision. This condition can be quite debilitating if not treated correctly.

Activities which bring on symptoms will vary among persons, but symptoms are almost always precipitated by a change of position of the head, including:

• Tilting the head
• Rolling over in bed
• Looking up or under
• Sudden head motion
• Post head injury

Dizziness is often accompanied with headaches or migraines and our assessment will are able to determine if your dizziness is vestibular in origin or relates to your neck and offer the appropriate treatment. Treatment also uses targeted exercise programs to treat the vestibular system and balance re-training exercises to reduce the negative effects of vestibular disorders.

Each condition is different and may respond differently to treatment, we can also determine if you need to be referred to a Neurologist for further testing.