Vestibular Physical Therapy

If you have an inner ear disorder, dysfunction, or injury causing vertigo, balance issues, or dizziness, vestibular physical therapy may help you overcome these problems. This type of rehabilitation is conducted by a specially trained physical therapist with the goal of improving balance and reducing dizziness-related problems. Therapy is individualized to your specific diagnosis and its severity.

How Does It Work?

Vestibular physical therapy uses exercises and activity to alleviate the feeling of imbalance, or to help the brain learn to use other senses to make up for problems with the inner ear.

One technique that may be used by your therapist is habituation. With habituation, your therapist puts you through a series of exercises that gently “provoke” the brain into experiencing dizziness or vertigo. These exercises are based on the rationale that by slightly triggering mild dizziness or vertigo, your brain will become used to the sensation, and eventually stop responding to it.

Another therapy technique is substitution, in which you learn new ways of doing things (for instance, how you use your eyes), to reduce dependence on tendencies that cause balance problems.

Conditions We Treat

Sometimes an illness or damage to the inner ear can bring lasting and harmful problems with balance. Some causes of these issues include:

Length Of Treatment

The length of vestibular physical therapy varies, depending on your diagnosis and severity of your condition, from one or two weeks, up to months. 

A Physician Order Is Not Required

The state of Ohio Physical Therapy Practice Act and Premier Health both allow patients to be seen via Direct Access. That means no physician order is required.  

However, some insurance companies require a physician order, so check with your insurance plan or ask our team to assist you. 

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