WHY IS MY BALANCE COMPROMISED BY DIZZINESS AND/OR VERTIGO?
Just a few of the many factors that can lead to dizziness include lack of sleep, poor nutrition, overexertion, or a physical ailment, such as a head cold or the flu. Dizziness can also occur from something as simple as standing up too quickly after an extended period of rest. Some accompanying symptoms to dizziness may include:
• Migraines. Migraines can impact your vestibular system, thus causing episodes of vertigo which may be coupled with sensitivities to light or sound. Vision may also be impaired. • Stroke. A stroke affects movement in your whole body. If you recently suffered a stroke, you may experience waves of vertigo which may linger for extended periods of time.
• Momentarily impaired vision (i.e. tunnel vision)
• Loss of balance
• Light-headedness or heavy- headedness
Some accompanying symptoms to vertigo may also include:
• Feeling woozy or faint
• Difficulty seeing
• Inability to focus or remain alert
The causes of vertigo aren’t nearly as vast. In fact, vertigo is most commonly caused by an imbalance in the inner ear, also known as the “vestibular system.” Your vestibular system helps you maintain your balance and center of gravity by sending messages to your brain regarding your movement. When this is impaired, the necessary messages become blocked from your brain, and your movement becomes affected. You may feel as if the world is spinning around you, you can’t focus your vision for prolonged periods of time, or you can’t stand/move properly without feeling like you’ll topple over. Some common causes of vertigo include: • Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). This is the most common cause of vertigo. It occurs when the tiny calcium crystals located in your ears break apart and move around to different parts of the ear that they are not supposed to be in. This can cause sudden spinning sensations (vertigo) and inner-ear discomfort. • Meniere’s disease. This occurs when fluid builds up in your ear(s). This typically includes “ringing” sounds in the inner-ear and sudden waves of vertigo that may last for hours. You may also experience momentary hearing losses.
• Difficulty speaking
• Double vision
• Sweating
• Nausea or vomiting
• Abnormal eye movements
• Arm or leg weakness
Dizziness and vertigo can both hinder your balance, limiting your ability to perform even the simplest of tasks. Luckily, no matter what the cause may be, physical therapy for dizziness and vertigo can help. Lonoke Physical Therapy has some of the most advanced techniques for diagnosing and treating both dizziness and vertigo, including vestibular rehabilitation and more. Vestibular rehabilitation includes treatments such as the Epley maneuver, which allows for canalith repositioning to move the broken calcium crystals in patients experiencing BPPV, as well as Cawthorne head exercises, which focus on decreasing nerve sensitivity and improving vertigo. Physical therapy is very important to strengthening joints and learning the right exercises to relieve dizziness and vertigo, in order to improve balance. A professional can help you develop a program that plays into your strengths while increasing your ability to balance and reduce bouts of unsteadiness. Contact Lonoke Physical Therapy today to get started!
• Vestibular neuritis. This is an inner-ear infection that can cause vertigo.
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