What many people do not know is that some types of dizziness can be treated by Physical Therapy. Examples of diagnoses that produce dizziness that can be treated with skilled Physical Therapy Intervention include Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), an inner ear hypofunction, an injury from whiplash, and Post-Concussion Syndrome. Just like many different things can cause dizziness, people may describe their symptoms in many different ways depending on the origin of the injury. People may describe that they feel as though they are “in a fog”, people may state that they feel that the room is spinning or that they feel as though they are spinning, they may have some nausea caused by the dizzy sensation and may have sensitivity to loud noises or lights that makes their symptoms worse.
At the physical therapy evaluation, the Physical Therapist will perform some tests to see what factors cause the dizziness and other various symptoms in order to determine the source of the problem. Once determined, then the treatment can begin. It may incorporate some maneuvers of the head in order to resolve the dizziness, some manual therapy, exercises for coordinating eyes and head movements, and some balance exercises.
Depending on the diagnosis and other factors, determines how long it will take for the symptoms to improve. Every diagnosis is different and every person is different, so the length of recovery will vary from a few weeks to months. Through an individualized plan of various treatments and exercises, the dizziness can be resolved.
