Vertigo

Vestibular issues, including vertigo, are so incredibly common and yet often go undiagnosed and untreated, leading to secondary complications such as falls. Falls are the most common cause of hospitalisations in Australia, representing 42% of hospitalisations due to injury. Falls secondary to vertigo are very prevalent in this group and yet are often not recognised. Furthermore, something like vertigo can really take away your mobility and confidence to participate in day-to-day life.

There are lots of things which can cause vertigo, and not all of them are amenable to physiotherapy. Sometimes a neurological event such as a stroke can trigger persistent vertigo-like symptoms. Other times it can be following a viral illness or a head knock. Of course, any dizziness or giddiness which is; sudden onset, associated with a viral illness, prolonged/persistent or associated with hearing loss, should be attended to medically to rule out some of the other causes of dizziness not amenable to physiotherapy.

The cause of your vertigo and the chronicity of your symptoms will impact upon the effectiveness of treatment. Some symptoms which are common in conditions we treat is dizziness with; positional changes or head movement, rolling in bed/getting out of bed, turning quickly when walking, and or difficulty maintaining gaze focus. In some cases and with some diagnoses, we can eradicate the symptoms rather quickly! Other cases take time and consistent effort. Some of the treatments we offer include; balance training, canal re-positioning manoeuvres, gaze stability training, and neck/thoracic range of motion exercsies.

When being assessed for your vestibular issues at SmartMoves, you can expect a thorough subjective assessment, a comprehensive physical examination, and treatment as well as exercises which are targeted towards your deficits, helping you move smarter not harder.