There are many different causes of dizziness some of which can be helped with Physiotherapy treatment.

Some common problems that I would see are:

• Dizziness that has resulted after a head injury or more mild concussion. Physiotherapy treatment for this usually consists of exercises to improve the head and eye co-ordination and balance.
• BPPV which is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Clients with this usually complain of a short duration spinning sensation which occurs when they change position suddenly such as lying down or rolling over. It is cause by crystals in the ear falling off and floating around in the ear canal. This can usually be resolved following one treatment where the crystals are moved out of the canals by preforming a specific manoeuvre.
• Cervical Dizziness. This is dizziness that is a result of problems with the neck joints or muscles. Treatment is generally mobilisation and massage.
• Vestibular neuritis. This is where the nerve to one ear has been affected and isn’t working properly. This leads to one ear sending different messages to the brain than the other and dizziness results. Specific exercises are given to treat this problem.

 

There are some other problems such as Meniere’s disease which have dizziness that physiotherapy does not help.

The initial assessment for dizziness lasts an hour so we can be thorough and identify what the underlying cause of the dizziness is, and then proceed to appropriate treatment.