Your inner ear controls your body's balance. If there are problems in your inner ear, you can spend a lot of time feeling dizzy, nauseated, lightheaded, or floaty. The part of your ear that handles these issues is called the vestibule, and when there are problems with the vestibular system, your body doesn't always know where your head is or if you are lying down, standing up, or balanced. That kind of dizziness and vertigo can make it hard for you to do anything because you feel like you will fall over or throw up every time you move. There are things that you can do that will help you. One is for your doctor to send you to vestibular rehabilitation.
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy
This therapy is made up of various exercises that are designed to help you deal with your dizziness and help you stay more balanced. The therapy may not completely eliminate your dizziness, but it will help you learn how to deal with it and how to function while you are dealing with it. Before you start the therapy, you should visit an audiologist who can do some testing on your vestibule. The results will let the doctors know how well your vestibule is working and may help pinpoint some problems. Then you will see a physical therapist (PT). The therapist will evaluate you to see how you are affected by your vertigo. They will also ask you some questions. When they have all the information, the PT will design a program that will work for you.
Program
The program that your PT designs for you can include several things. One thing that it might include is eye movement exercises. Part of some vestibular system issues is difficulty with your vision. You may sometimes have a hard time focusing, which can both exacerbate and be exacerbated by your vertigo. The therapist can teach you eye movements that will help you focus better and can combat dizziness.
Your PT can also help with balance retraining. This training will teach you how to adjust your balance by using additional cues and input so that when your vertigo is acting up, you can use those things to help you stay balanced and safe.
If you have vertigo or some other vestibular system problem, you have to deal with dizziness, lack of balance, and feeling not quite connected to the ground. Talk to your doctor about going through vestibular rehabilitation therapy so that you can feel better.
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