Vestibular Rehabilitation Exercises

Exercises that promote recovery

In order to maintain balance and feel at equilibrium the brain uses sensory information from three systems:

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–Vestibular system (balance organs in the ears)

–Visual system (eyes)

–Proprioception (information about changes in position from the muscles in our body)

If any of these systems is not working well then we can feel dizzy or off balance as there will be conflicting sensory information (i.e. your eyes and body are telling your brain you are still when your inner ear is reporting movement). The symptoms of dizziness caused by a disorder of the inner ear are normally increased by movement of the head or body as this is when the balance centres in the brain receives multiple sensory inputs.

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Vestibular rehabilitation exercises encourage the brain to adapt to the changes in these systems. This is promoted via a customised exercise program involving the use of vision, head movements and walking tasks. The exercises do not take long to complete though should be repeated at intervals throughout the day. Consistency and therefore motivation is an important aspect.

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Types of Exercises

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•VOR (Vestibulo-ocular Reflex)

–Repeated head movements whilst maintaining gaze on a fixed target promotes adaptation of the vestibular system to altered inputs

–reduce retinal slip

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•Habituation

–Repeated stimulus resulting in sustained recovery

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•Postural Stability

–Improving standing balance and balance on ambulation

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•Substitution

–Using alternative systems for recovery 

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Recovery from a vestibular (inner ear balance organ) deficit may be spontaneous, or guided and structured. An understanding of why you are feeling dizzy and how recovery works is important as this will reduce anxieties and foster recovery. A customised approach is based on the diagnosis and understanding what movements are triggering the symptoms.

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