HOUSTON – Almost half of the population will experience vertigo at some point in their life, usually affecting more women than men, according to UCSF Health.
Now, The Dizzy Spot at Bercutt Physical Therapy said they can help people recover.
Aashini Patel said vertigo kept her from moving her head to one side.
“The main thing was like every time I moved my head or anything towards the right, I was like, the world is turning in circles where it should not be turning and it felt super overwhelming,” Patel said.
Vertigo can be caused by a concussion or other brain injuries
“So, high school athletes are at risk kind of across the lifespan,” said Sierra Jackson, a physical therapist from The Dizzy Spot.
“I also see a neurological population. So, people who have Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s, they’ve had a stroke, they’ve had a brain injury,” said Allison Teheng, another physical therapist.
While many patients may push through without giving much thought about what causes dizziness, Jackson and Teheng explained how tiny crystals inside the inner ear are knocked loose, causing the dizzy sensation.
“It’s caused by little calcium carbonate crystals that gets dislodged in the inner ear, and we see them, we maneuver them back in place and the patient feels 100% better when we’re done,” Jackson said.
They maneuver them back with these types of exercises:
- Balancing
- Walking while moving your head
- Quick movements onto your side
- Or lying on your back
Exercises can push the crystals back in place, according to Jackson. Contrary to what feels right, patients are expected to feel the room spin during these exercises because Jackson said that means it’s working.
“When you get a dizzy patient, all they want to do is stay still. They don’t want to move their head because it feels horrible,” Jackson said. “A lot of education is what we do too on the importance of moving your head after having some weakness in the vestibular system because that’s how it improves.”
Teheng said these can heal patients quickly and they can fully recover and get back to normal life.
“They’re instantly feeling so much better and more secure and comfortable with how they are now because it’s resolved. And it’s not usually a lifelong chronic condition that will impede them,” Teheng said.
Bercutt Physical Therapy will accept some insurance. A patient needs to be diagnosed with a vestibular condition and referred to PT by a doctor. Once referred, insurance may cover the therapy to relieve vertigo.
“We see clients all the time who say, ‘Oh, well, I just stopped looking to the right.’ If they have positional vertigo and they know that’s what makes them dizzy, they just stop doing that motion or they will go to the hairdresser, but they won’t let them tip their head back to wash their hair because they know that position might make them dizzy,” Teheng said. “If we can correct it, then they can continue out their life moving normally, which is the safest way to move.”