Regaining Your Balance – How can vestibular rehabilitation help people struggling with balance issues

At PMC Physiotherapy, we understand how debilitating dizziness, unsteadiness, and balance issues can be. Whether caused by an inner ear disorder, head injury, or another vestibular condition, these symptoms can significantly affect daily life. The good news is that with the right approach, many people can experience real improvement. Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialised physiotherapy treatment that targets the root causes of balance dysfunction and helps patients regain their stability, confidence, and quality of life.

Vestibular rehabilitation is a well-established, evidence-based intervention for treating people with vestibular issues. The type of treatment provided depends on what is causing the issue. This will be determined in the first appointment by your physiotherapist based on taking a thorough history and performing a number of physical tests.

Once a diagnosis has been established, a treatment plan is drawn up. For some people, treatment will involve exercises to be done at home. The aim of the exercise programme is for the brain to reset the balance system. In order to do this, it needs feedback. The way to provide feedback is to do exercises that involve eye movement, head movement or neck movement, or a combination of these. This allows us to compensate for any vestibular imbalances occurring. The imbalance is what is causing symptoms like spinning and dizziness.

What exercises are prescribed will depend on what is found in the examination and what the patient is having difficulty with. The exercises will be progressed at each appointment as needed and will be as specific to the patient. For example, if a patient is having trouble when they are walking, exercises will be performed walking as soon as the patient is able.

If, on the other hand, the patient has a diagnosis of BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), specific manoeuvres are carried out to improve their symptoms. In this disorder, calcium carbonate crystals have made their way into a part of the inner ear that they shouldn’t be in (the semi-circular canals). The manoeuvres are designed to relocate the crystals out of the semi-circular canals and involve the physiotherapist moving the patient’s head in a specific manner.

If you’ve been struggling with dizziness, unsteadiness, or balance problems, vestibular rehabilitation may be the solution you need. At PMC Physiotherapy, our expert team will carry out a comprehensive assessment to understand the source of your symptoms and build a personalised plan to help you feel steady and secure once more. Don’t let balance issues limit your life — contact our clinic today and take the first step toward restoring your confidence and mobility.