Breaking Free from Dizziness: How Brooklyn’s Vestibular Physical Therapy is Transforming Lives One Balance at a Time

If you’ve ever experienced the unsettling sensation of feeling like the world is spinning around you, or struggled with maintaining your balance during simple daily activities, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans will experience some sort of dizzy spell or vertigo at some point in their lives, making dizziness and loss of balance the second most commonly reported complaint within doctors’ offices. Fortunately, Brooklyn residents now have access to specialized vestibular physical therapy services that can provide life-changing relief.

Understanding Vestibular Disorders and Their Impact

A balance disorder is a condition that makes you feel unsteady or dizzy. If you are standing, sitting, or lying down, you might feel as if you are moving, spinning, or floating. If you are walking, you might suddenly feel as if you are tipping over. Balance disorders can be caused by certain health conditions, medications, or a problem in the inner ear or the brain.

The vestibular system is a component of our inner ear that gives us our sense of balance and its disruption contributes to the opposite: imbalance and incoordination. A balance disorder can profoundly impact daily activities and cause psychological and emotional hardship, often leading people to avoid activities they once enjoyed due to fear of falling or experiencing dizziness.

What is Vestibular Physical Therapy?

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT) is a specialized form of physical therapy uniquely designed to alleviate both the primary and secondary problems caused by vestibular disorders. These problems may include decreased balance or a sense of instability, frequent falls, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, “brain fog” or difficulty concentrating, blurry or double vision (especially with head movement), and neck pain and stiffness.

Using a combination of balance training, coordination of head and eye movements, repetition of the specific activities or movements that provoke symptoms, and manual therapy when indicated, VRT is intended to re-train the vestibular system and restore a patient’s sense of equilibrium.

Specialized Treatment Approaches in Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s vestibular therapy specialists employ three primary treatment methods:

• Habituation Exercises: Habituation exercises are primarily concerned with treating symptoms of dizziness — in particular, dizziness as a result of sudden head movement. Habituation exercises require that the patient repeats the movement that provokes their dizziness again and again until the brain learns to ignore the abnormal signals from the inner ear.
• Gaze Stabilization: Gaze stabilization exercises help improve control of eye movements. They are often recommended for patients who can’t see clearly because their vision “bounces” or “jumps around.” Gaze stabilization exercises may require the patient to hold their gaze on an object as it moves around.
• Balance Training: Balance training exercises improve steadiness so that daily activities can be performed safely and comfortably.

Effective Treatment for BPPV

For patients suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Brooklyn’s vestibular specialists offer highly effective treatments. If you have BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), our vestibular therapy experts can perform a series of simple movements, such as the Epley maneuver, which can help dislodge the otoconia (calcium crystals) from the semicircular canal of the ear. In many cases, one session works; other people need the procedure several times to relieve their dizziness.

For patients suffering from Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), this condition can usually be treated in just one to two visits and can quickly alleviate debilitating sensations of vertigo, nausea, and unsteadiness.

Comprehensive Care Beyond Balance

Vestibular therapy in Brooklyn goes beyond just addressing dizziness. The physical therapists at Prime Fitness Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation in Brooklyn can also help increase your strength and coordination to help lower your risk of falling and getting hurt during daily activities, such as when you walk up or down stairs, use the bathroom, or exercise.

VRT can improve the ability to stabilize vision/gaze and control eye movement during head movement, enhance postural stability, symptoms of vertigo and dizziness, body strength, and neck motion/associated pain or strength. In addition it can decrease the risk of fall, improve balance, restore body movement/function, and increase steadiness/ the ability to walk on different surfaces.

NY Spine Medicine’s Approach to Physical Therapy

When seeking comprehensive rehabilitation services, including vestibular therapy, it’s essential to choose a practice that aligns with your values and treatment philosophy. The core belief of our practice is that surgery should be a last resort for treatment of your pain. We exhaust all possible medical options to help our patients recover from their pain as safely and as painlessly as possible. Our holistic approach encompasses minimally invasive procedures to relieve pain, promote healing, and prevent future injury.

For those seeking Physical Therapy Brooklyn services, NY Spine Medicine is dedicated to the treatment of pain and spine conditions and utilizes the most advanced technology and treatment options available in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility. From the moment you enter our clinic, you will feel the compassion, respect, and caring professionalism of our staff.

What to Expect During Treatment

VRT sessions all begin with a comprehensive clinical assessment conducted by a physical therapist to collect a detailed medical history of the patient’s symptoms and any triggers leading up to the dizziness episode. Every vestibular rehab program begins with a comprehensive clinical examination, which is necessary to identify problems related to the vestibular disorder. Once the examination is complete, a physical therapist can prescribe an exercise routine comprised of one or more of the following three methods: habituation, gaze stabilization, and balance training.

If you decide to work with a physical therapist to help correct your balance and/or dizziness issues, your entire treatment plan could consist of around 8-20 different PT sessions that will each last approximately 60-90 minutes.

The Path to Recovery

It’s important to understand that vestibular rehabilitation is a process that requires patience and commitment. By utilizing and progressing the repetition of provoking activities in order to extinguish symptoms, it is important to note that exercises will usually increase symptoms while they are being performed in VRT. As patients progress, however, the symptoms eventually subside.

Vestibular rehab cannot restore vestibular function. It can, however, promote compensation that can help the patient to go about their daily life more safely and comfortably.

Taking the First Step

If you’re experiencing dizziness, balance problems, or vertigo, don’t let these symptoms control your life. Vestibular treatment could be the difference between a lifetime of dizziness and vertigo, and feeling your absolute best. If you’re feeling dizzy and off-balance, don’t wait any longer to get help!

Brooklyn’s specialized vestibular physical therapy services offer hope and healing for those struggling with balance disorders. With the right treatment approach, comprehensive assessment, and dedicated therapy team, you can regain your stability, confidence, and quality of life. The journey to better balance begins with that first appointment – take the step toward a steadier, more confident you today.