What do physical therapists have to do with dizziness?

Dizziness is a common problem affecting between 15% and 20% of people each year. It significantly impacts daily life, causing feelings of unsteadiness, lightheadedness, or sensations of the room spinning. These symptoms can be alarming and significantly hinder the ability to complete even basic tasks. The good news is that dizziness often has treatable causes. The fact that physical therapists can be a key player in treating dizziness surprises many people. 

Understanding dizziness: Dizziness isn't a specific disease but a symptom with various origins. Inner ear issues are a frequent culprit, but vision problems, neck or muscle issues, migraines, blood pressure changes, head injuries, and neurological problems can also contribute.

What do physical therapists have to do with dizziness? PTs are known as movement and musculoskeletal experts, but they also frequently treat balance problems. That's how they play a role in treating dizziness. Balance relies on a complex interplay between the inner ear, vision, and sensory input from your joints. When this information becomes conflicting, the brain struggles to interpret it, leading to a feeling of dizziness or vertigo.

Physical therapists assess all these systems to pinpoint the underlying cause of dizziness. This tailored approach leads to an effective treatment plan. That plan might include:

● Exercises: These might be designed to improve balance, strengthen specific muscles, or retrain the brain to process sensory information correctly. This could involve gaze stabilization exercises to help the brain and vision work together, habituation exercises to desensitize the brain to specific triggers, and balance training on various surfaces.

● Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers (CRM): If benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the culprit, specific maneuvers can reposition tiny crystals within the ear canal, alleviating vertigo. Patients are also often taught to perform these maneuvers at home.

● Education: PTs teach people about strategies to manage dizziness and exercises they can independently perform. Additionally, therapists can help modify activities that trigger dizziness or teach ways to work through them.

Dizziness can stop people in their tracks. However, physical therapists offer effective treatment options to get people moving again. PT helps people regain balance, perform daily activities confidently, and reduce fall risk. 

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