Home Physiotherapy for Dizziness & Vestibular Disorders
Experiencing dizziness, vertigo (a spinning sensation), or persistent unsteadiness can be incredibly disruptive and unsettling, impacting your confidence and ability to carry out daily activities. Fortunately, many balance disorders originating from the inner ear (vestibular system) can be significantly improved with a specialist physiotherapy approach called Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT). Medella Home Physio & OT provides expert VRT assessment and treatment delivered by trained physiotherapists in the comfort and safety of your own home across Hampshire and Dorset.
Understanding Dizziness, Vertigo, and Balance Problems
Your vestibular system, located in the inner ear, works like a gyroscope, sending signals to your brain about head movements and orientation to help you maintain balance and stable vision. When this system isn’t working correctly, it can lead to symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and unsteadiness. Common causes include BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo), where tiny crystals become displaced in the inner ear; viral infections affecting the inner ear nerve (Vestibular Neuritis or Labyrinthitis); Ménière’s disease; or sometimes age-related changes or other neurological factors. While symptoms can feel overwhelming, it’s important to know that effective treatment is often available.
Our Home-Based Vestibular Assessment
Understanding your specific symptoms is key. Our experienced physiotherapists conduct comprehensive vestibular assessments during a home visit, which typically involves:
- A detailed discussion about the nature of your symptoms (type, triggers, timing, severity) and your medical history.
- Specific tests looking at your eye movements and how they coordinate with head movements.
- Balance tests, assessing your stability while standing still and moving within your home environment.
- If BPPV is suspected based on your history, specific positional tests (like the Dix-Hallpike test) may be performed to confirm the diagnosis.
Conducting this assessment at home allows our therapists to see how your symptoms affect you in your everyday surroundings and ensures your safety and comfort, especially if you are experiencing acute dizziness.
Why Choose Home Visits for Vestibular Rehabilitation?
Receiving VRT at home with Medella offers significant advantages:
- Safety: Avoids the need to travel when you might be feeling dizzy, nauseous, or unsteady.
- Comfort: Undergo assessment and treatment in a familiar, secure environment.
- Convenience: Eliminates the stress and logistical challenges of getting to a clinic.
- Real-World Practice: Balance exercises and functional strategies can be practised directly within your own home layout.
- Personalised Care: One-to-one sessions focused entirely on your progress and specific home environment.
How Specialist Vestibular Physiotherapy Can Help
Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) is an exercise-based programme designed to help your brain adapt to, compensate for, or resolve deficits in the vestibular system. After a thorough assessment to understand the likely cause of your symptoms, our specialist physiotherapists develop a personalised VRT plan. The primary goals are to:
- Reduce feelings of dizziness and vertigo.
- Improve your balance and reduce your risk of falling.
- Enhance your ability to keep your vision stable when your head is moving.
- Increase your confidence in moving around and participating in activities.
- Help you return to your normal daily life with reduced symptoms.
A detailed assessment by a trained professional is crucial, as different conditions require different treatment approaches.
What Does Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) Involve?
Based on your assessment findings, your personalised VRT programme will be designed by your physiotherapist. Treatment is progressive and may include:
- Canalith Repositioning Manoeuvres (CRMs): If BPPV is diagnosed, specific, controlled head and body movements (such as the Epley Manoeuvre) are performed by the physiotherapist to guide the displaced inner ear crystals back to where they belong. It is essential these manoeuvres are performed correctly by a trained professional.
- Gaze Stability Exercises: Exercises to improve the coordination between eye and head movements, helping to keep vision clear when you move your head.
- Habituation Exercises: Specific movements designed to gradually reduce dizziness triggered by certain motions or visual stimuli through controlled, repeated exposure.
- Balance Retraining Exercises: A variety of exercises, performed in standing or while moving, to challenge and improve your balance control within your home setting.
- Walking Practice: Strategies and exercises to improve stability and confidence while walking indoors and outdoors.
- Education and Advice: Understanding your condition and learning strategies to manage symptoms and modify activities during recovery.
Links to Our Physiotherapy Services
Our specialist assessment and treatment for dizziness and vestibular disorders is provided by experienced physiotherapists as part of our Falls Prevention and Balance Training service. (User: Please confirm if this should link to Neuro Physio or Falls/Balance page and update the link text/URL accordingly). You can learn more about our general approach by visiting that page.
Take Control of Your Dizziness Today
Persistent dizziness, vertigo or unsteadiness can significantly limit your activities and enjoyment of life. However, with an accurate assessment and appropriate Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy, many people achieve substantial improvement. Don’t let these symptoms hold you back. Contact Medella Home Physio & OT today to discuss your situation and arrange a specialist assessment with one of our trained physiotherapists at your home in Hampshire or Dorset.