If you’ve ever felt a tight, aching neck followed by a splitting headache, strangely off-balance or nauseous, it may be a sign that your vestibular system needs some support.
Your vestibular system helps you keep your balance, stay steady when you move and know which way is up, so when’s something’s not quite right, it can really throw you for a spin.
Thankfully, physiotherapy can help.
What is vestibular physiotherapy?
Vestibular physiotherapy is a type of physiotherapy that focuses on exercises that help manage dizziness and balance issues, vertigo, headaches, nausea or feelings of imbalance. 1 It can also assist with concussion symptoms following a bump, blow or jolt to the head or body.
Vestibular physiotherapy involves a tailored approach to your symptoms and may include techniques like gentle manual therapy techniques of the neck, repositioning techniques, balance retraining or dry needling (when used with other techniques), along with educational advice to help you manage your symptoms to help get you through the day.
Vestibular conditions we can help treat
Common symptoms and conditions we see include:
- Dizziness sensations like light-headedness, faintness or feelings of “wooziness”
- Vertigo which is a more specific type of dizziness where you feel like you’re spinning or the room is moving
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) which is triggered by small movements like turning in bed or bending over
- Mal de Débarquement Syndrome which is that “still-on-the-boat” feeling after travel
- Vestibular migraines that come with balance problems or wobbly or fuzzy vision
- Concussion-related dizziness stemming from a head or body knock or whiplash
- Neck and posture-related headaches when a tight, sore neck can bring on dizzy spells and head pain
Do I need a referral for vestibular physiotherapy?
To good news is no, so you can be seen at the earliest convenience to have your symptoms addressed. Simply phone us and mention vestibular physiotherapy to our admin team to get started.
Find your balance again
Vestibular symptoms can be frustrating, exhausting and downright disorienting and even if your symptoms don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis, our physiotherapists can assess what’s going on and help guide you through a treatment plan to get you feeling steadier and clearer.