Balance Therapy

» Balance Therapy : Dizziness


At some point in life, most people will experience dizziness; a very scary and disorientating experience. There are many causes for dizziness, but it’s often due to a problem with the vestibular system (located in the inner ear) which is responsible for helping you balance.

Dizziness from inner ear problems can be treated without medication or surgery. Balance and vestibular physical therapy can help you recover the weakened vestibular system and use your other senses, such as vision and touch, to compensate for the loss of balance. In simple terms, the brain reeducates itself.

What is Dizziness?

While this seems like a simple question, dizziness as a symptom can be much more complex.  So, if you went to a doctor and said that you felt pain, what would the doctor ask?  In most cases he would say to describe your pain.  Is it sharp, dull, aching, burning, radiating, etc.?  You see, with pain, the pattern or description of it often helps the doctor determine the cause of it and the likely treatment.  With dizziness, it is the same. 

Common Dizziness Symptoms

For most, the most common dizziness symptom is vertigo.  Vertigo is a feeling like you are turning or moving in a rotational manner.  It is often caused by an imbalance between your right and left ears.  It is similar to the feeling after you have purposefully spun in a chair and played that funny game you see at the baseball games where they turn quickly around a baseball bat 10-15 times and attempt to stand.  With vertigo, there are two types: subjective and objective.  Subjective vertigo is felt inside you body, while objective is seen with your eyes and movement. 

The second type of dizziness symptom is imbalance.  This is a feeling like you are tilting or going to even fall.  Like vertigo, the subjective form is when you feel it inside and the objective is when you are losing your balance. 

The third type of dizziness symptom is vaguer and is called lightheadedness.  This is also described by patients as a wooziness or even a feeling of fogginess.  In many cases, this is caused by a issue with blood flow to the head, but it also comes on with inner ear issues.  Like the others, the subjective form is felt within while an objective form can be seen with a change in your heart rate and even blood pressure. 

Next is motion sickness as a form of dizziness.  This is a feel of an irritated stomach like you might experience as a passenger in a car or after coming off a boat.  Subjectively, it is felt inside and objectively, well, it can be experienced as actual vomiting. 

The last form of dizziness is also vague and sometimes hard to understand.  When you feel dizziness, your behavior can sometimes make it worse or it can increase your dizziness symptoms.  Imagine the last time you were on a boat and you got dizziness and then you are told you are going to go on it again.  This can start to make you feel dizziness symptoms.  Anxiety or fear can also make the dizziness symptoms feel more intense. 

Speaking to your Doctor about Dizziness

When you are speaking with a healthcare practitioner and you feel dizziness symptoms, know explaining it this way will help them understand better your condition. 

FYZICAL’s treatment and recovery protocols include utilizing cutting-edge equipment which isn’t available at any other outpatient physical therapy or treatment center in the area. For example, FYZICAL’s balance program incorporates a Safety Overhead Support (SOS) system. This system utilizes a harness and ceiling-mounted rails making it is impossible for you to fall and hit the ground, allowing you to exercise safely without the fear of falling!

We offer FREE Assessments to diagnose dizziness dysfunctions and identify individuals of all ages and conditions at risk of falling.  By identifying risk, future injuries can be prevented.  Our skilled physical therapists will create a program specifically tailored to your needs, so you can begin your quest to regain your footing, your confidence, and your freedom.

Couple happily enjoying carnival ride after physical therapist cures dizziness symptom