Vertigo/BPPVin Ocean Township and Sea Girt
Vertigo, the sensation of one’s surroundings spinning, can be an overwhelming and intimidating experience. But it doesn’t have to keep you from enjoying your life.
At SOAR, our expert physical therapists are here to listen to your symptoms, identify the source of your vertigo, and develop a personalized treatment plan to reduce and resolve your symptoms. We’ll also focus on improving balance and muscle strength to reduce tension in your neck.
Common causes of vertigo include:
One cause is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), in which calcium deposits in the inner ear block the inner ear’s signal with the brain. This can be caused for no apparent reason and is very treatable. This causes the perception of spinning especially with transitions of movement, like standing up or rolling over in bed. Vertigo can also be caused by an inner ear infection, a migraine, a tumor blocking the signaling in the inner ear (acoustic neuroma) or occur for no apparent reason (idiopathic). Although some of these might sound scary, your physician and physical therapist will help you identify the cause of your symptoms and make a plan to treat it, so make an appointment today!
Vertigo treatments include:
If your vertigo can be improved by exercise, your physical therapist will guide you through a program to reduce your symptoms. The goal is to gradually introduce movement to allow your body to accommodate without dizziness. It includes head, neck, and eye movements to reduce the spinning sensation, neck mobility exercises, and balance exercises. Your therapist may also assign neck and upper extremity strengthening and stretching exercises.
If you have BPPV, your physical therapist will teach you specific whole-body maneuvers to improve the signal from your brain to the inner ear and improve your symptoms quickly.
