Dizziness impacts millions of individuals each year and can cause you to feel disoriented or even lead to a significant injury from a fall. 30% of seniors over the age of 60 and 50% over the age of 85 report frequent bouts of dizziness or vertigo. Falls, as a result of dizziness, are also a leading contributor for serious injuries, emergency room visits, and deaths for elderly individuals.
Dizziness can affect more than just the senior population, as there are plenty of different causes that can contribute to a sense of light-headedness or imbalance. Take a look at some of the key reasons why physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for those individuals who experience dizziness or balance issues.
Oftentimes, dizziness and balance issues are symptoms of a larger problem and aren’t self-contained issues. With a comprehensive evaluation, a licensed physical therapist will work to evaluate potential reasons for dizziness occurrences. Part of this comprehensive evaluation is to determine what contributing factors could be causing balance issues or if there are underlying medical conditions that could be impacting your ability to remain upright and balanced.
There are plenty of different systems that contribute to maintaining balance, movement, and our perception of the world around us. Each one of these balance systems plays an important role to help monitor our orientation to physical objects, changing landscapes, and physical movements on a subconscious level. The systems that control balance and our perception of the world around us include sensory input, motor input, and the integration between all of the underlying components. All of these systems need to work in tandem with one another to ensure that you’re upright and steady.
A physical therapist will be able to evaluate whether or not there is a deficit in the overall system, an underlying medical condition, or if there are external factors and activities that could be contributing to the dizzying sensation and loss of coordination.
To determine the underlying causes and loss of coordination, a licensed PT at Results Physiotherapy will go through a battery of tests and exercises to identify if there are certain activities that contribute to the dizziness. Some of these tests will also determine if the dizziness is onset when performing certain movements like standing up too quickly, rapid head or eye shifts, and other unique scenarios.
In addition, a physical therapist will evaluate your medical history and foster an open dialogue to get a better understanding of when the dizziness started to occur or is a recent event.
In some instances, lifestyle changes can be the cause of recent dizziness. Examples of new lifestyle changes that can cause dizziness include new medication, diets, or rigorous exercise plans that cause you to exert too much energy. Physical therapists can help to identify any recent lifestyle behavior changes that could be contributing to your dizziness and determine if changes need to be made.
There are alternatives to certain activities and movements that could be implemented to help relieve the dizziness. Over the course of physical therapy, a PT can guide and educate you on the proper way to perform those movements to mitigate dizziness and alleviate the risk for serious injury from subsequent falls. A Results PT will work closely with you to assess what types of activities you’re having difficulty with to help you find alternative solutions, so you can continue to perform your normal routine with minimal disruption.
Physical therapists will also work with you to retrain your body and correct those balance systems that could be misaligned. These physical therapy exercises can include working to improve your coordination during certain movements, helping you identify external factors and scenarios that could contribute to dizziness in your daily routine, and correcting muscular and structural deficits.
Licensed PTs can provide insights into foods, beverages, substances, and medications that could potentially cause you to experience dizziness. Physical therapists can also provide you with other recommendations to help you mitigate risks from dizziness that can include living environment changes or aids to help you with certain activities that are difficult. Some examples include adding additional railing in your home or walking with a cane to provide some protection and support when a dizzy spell hits.
Physical therapy can help individuals overcome their dizziness and balance issues with functional exercises and stretches. This unique treatment plan is designed to create a strong foundation to correct any muscular imbalances and coordination issues. A strong foundation can help to mitigate falls and other injuries that can result from dizziness and weak muscles. These functional exercises and stretches are also part of the comprehensive effort to retrain your body to better balance itself when performing certain activities.
Physical therapy can be an effective treatment option for those individuals who experience dizziness. With a combination of a comprehensive evaluation, functional exercises, education, and other manual therapy techniques, a licensed PT can treat your dizziness with a tailored treatment program designed around your specific needs and goals.
Schedule an appointment today at one of our clinics across the country to connect with a PT and learn more about how physical therapy can help you with your dizziness and balance.
