Understanding Vertigo: What It Is, What It Feels Like, and What Causes It

Many people use the terms “vertigo” and “dizziness” interchangeably, but vertigo is a specific type of dizziness. Dizziness can refer to a range of sensations: wooziness, lightheadedness, etc. Vertigo refers to a particular sensation in which you feel like you or the space you’re in is spinning.

Vertigo is closely associated with your vestibular system, which is located in your inner ear (the peripheral vestibular system) and in your cerebellum (the central vestibular system). Most people with vertigo have an impairment in the peripheral vestibular system: the structures and canals of the inner ear.

What sort of impairments? Here are a few of the most common:

• Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV): The most common source of vertigo, this occurs when tiny crystals build up in the inner ear canal.
• Meniere’s Disease: This results from fluid buildup in your inner ear. In addition to vertigo, you might experience hearing loss or muffled hearing, tinnitus, and a sense of fullness in the ear.
• Labyrinthitis: This is an inner ear inflammation resulting from an infection. 

It’s important to remember that vertigo isn’t really a condition in and of itself — it’s a symptom. If you can’t find an obvious inner ear issue that could be causing your vertigo, you may have central vertigo, vertigo that’s rooted in your cerebellum. The following can cause central vertigo:

• Stroke
• Migraines
• Vascular disease
• Traumatic brain injury 

Our physiotherapists will work with you and other providers, if needed, to determine the exact root of your vertigo attacks.

An In-Depth Look at Vestibular Rehabilitation

If you’re suffering from vertigo, you may have heard you could benefit from vestibular rehabilitation. But what is that, exactly? Let’s break it down.

Vestibular rehab focuses on addressing impairments in your vestibular system, which controls your body’s sense of balance and proprioception (awareness of itself in space).  It mainly focuses on issues in your peripheral vestibular system, the structures and labyrinths in your inner ear that help keep you steady.

Like any good physiotherapy program, a good vestibular rehabilitation program is designed around your symptoms, condition, and overall goals. The Key Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Centre physiotherapists will work closely with you to create your own customized plan.

What Will We Include in a Vestibular Rehabilitation Program?

The aims of vestibular rehab are three-fold. We want to help you…

• Improve your balance
• Improve your gaze stability
• And reduce your vertigo attacks

To accomplish these goals, we’ll pull from a blend of targeted vestibular exercises. These activities may not look like “traditional” physiotherapy, but they’re all techniques proven to help manage vertigo and dizziness symptoms related to vestibular disorders. Here’s what you can expect:

• Habituation Exercises: We’ll help you “habituate” to your vertigo by working with you to identify movements that trigger an attack — and then have you perform those movements in a monitored environment. Over time, your symptoms can decrease.
• Relaxation Exercises: We’ll show you techniques to calm your body when you do experience a vertigo attack.
• Vision Exercises: Vision and vertigo often go hand in hand. By stabilizing your gaze, you can decrease vertigo attacks. These exercises include focusing and refocusing your gaze on a busy visual field, among others.
• Postural Exercises: These exercises address all aspects of your body’s balance systems (visual, sensory, and vestibular) to help challenge and improve your balance while reducing your fall risk.

Think you might benefit from vestibular rehabilitation? Call us today to schedule an initial consultation!