Balance retraining and vestibular rehabilitation

Diagnosis of imbalance or dizziness provides the starting point for specialized physical therapy interventions individually tailored to each patient's strengths and weaknesses.

Vestibular deficits may contribute to imbalance and dizziness, but other conditions may also cause these impairments.

The goals of the program are to:

• assist patients in regaining or optimizing independent function and activity
• maximize safety
• minimize symptomatic dizziness.

Assessment and treatment

Assessment may include:

• musculoskeletal strength and endurance
• joint flexibility and range of motion
• gait and functional mobility
• balance in a variety of conditions
• sensation
• positions and activities that result in dizziness
• patient goals for activity and function
• sensory integration testing.

Treatment may include:

• vestibular rehabilitation exercise
• balance retraining
• gait retraining
• canalith repositioning procedure and/or exercise
• general conditioning
• exercise to address musculoskeletal problems.

Patients are also instructed in a home exercise program to facilitate progress and provide carry-over between scheduled sessions.

For patients living out of town, assessments may be conducted with specific recommendations forwarded to a provider close to home.

Patient story

A balancing act: Physical therapy can help relieve vertigo

We all feel like our world is spinning out of control sometimes, but for most of us it's a figure of speech. When Lila Renstrom's world started spinning, it wouldn't stop. She was experiencing vertigo.