A physical or occupational therapist will be able to treat you if you are experiencing dizziness or vertigo during your daily life. Dizziness is one of the most common reasons that older adults visit their doctor or go to the hospital. Once the doctor or hospital has ruled out a more serious problem come to an occupational or physical therapist to start getting treatment and possibly even completely clear up your symptoms.
Getting into therapy quickly is important if you are experiencing dizziness prompt treatment is the course of action that gives you the best chance of recovery. That is because it’s easier to get the brain to communicate with the inner ear during the early onset stages of dizziness.
Most issues of dizziness and balance can be corrected by working with a physical or occupational therapist. This is not an inevitable part of the aging process.
Common causes of dizziness include:
- Stroke, Parkinson disease, or other brain disorders
- Inner ear disorders
- Diseases like diabetes or arthritis
- Some medications
- Other conditions such as migraines and blood pressure problems
Some people experience dizziness as a feeling of unsteadiness, a rocking sensation, or even a spinning sensation. Dizziness can disrupt your life, cause you to feel fatigued, and reluctant to go about your daily activities.
The sensation of dizziness can cause you to experience:
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty walking
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Exhaustion
During your first visit to a physical or occupational therapist they will give you an evaluation to determine the cause of your dizziness. It will help if you can describe all of the situations that trigger your dizziness. This information will help your therapist work to discover what is causing your symptoms and the best treatment to help with your particular problem. In some cases dizziness can be caused by more than one factor.
Treatments your therapist may give you could include: exercises to improve balance, improve your ability to focus your eyes and vision, help repair the differences between your brain and inner ears. The brain gets its information about how the body is moving in relation to gravity from the inner ears. The inner ear can also give the brain information about how the head is moving, allowing the brain to coordinate eye motion.
Your physical or occupational therapist will also be able to help you with learning new ways to do an activity that causes you to become dizzy. Learning how to accomplish your daily activities without aggravating your symptoms can go a long way to helping you feel better.
In many cases your therapist could help solve some of your dizziness problems right away, causing you to feel a whole lot better on only one or two visits. Don’t continue to suffer make an appointment at IMPACT today!