Vestibular Rehab Therapy

Vestibular Rehab Therapy2019-01-25T22:25:33+00:00

Excel 77 copyVestibular rehab therapy is an exercise based program designed to promote central nervous system compensation for inner ear deficits. When the vestibular organs are damaged with disease or injury, the brain can no longer rely on them for accurate information about equilibrium and motion, often resulting in dizziness, vertigo, balance problems and other symptoms. A person with vestibular dysfunction can become overly dependent on input from the eyes (vision) and the muscles and joints (proprioception). They can also develop new patterns of head and body movement to avoid dizziness and nausea. This can lead to worsening symptoms, including headache, muscle tension and fatigue. The goal of vestibular rehab therapy is to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from the vestibular system in coordination with vision and proprioception.

At Excel Physical Therapy, a qualified physical therapist will perform a thorough evaluation including medical history, observation and measurement of posture, balance, gait and compensation patterns. It may also include head-eye coordination that measures how well a persons eyes track a moving object with or without head movement. We then design an individualized treatment plan that includes specific head, body and eye exercises to be performed in the clinic and at home. We encourage anyone with dizziness, vertigo or balance problems to seek physical therapy services to assess your condition and help provide you with treatments for recovery. Balance retraining is also extremely important in fall prevention and safety.