KNOWLEDGE BASE
VERTIGO
Vertigo, dizziness, disequilibrium are common complaints reported by adults during their visits to the doctors. They all are common symptoms which can result from a peripheral vestibular disorder (a dysfunction of balance organs in the inner ear) or a central vestibular disorder (dysfunction of one or more parts of CNS that help process balance and spatial information).
The balance organ (or labyrinth) is made up of three semicircular canals and the vestibule, which are all filled with liquid. The semicircular canals sense rotational movement and the vestibule senses acceleration and deceleration.
Vertigo is many times diagnosed as cervical spine spondylosis and people feel that they will have to live with it.
Vertigo is of 2 types :
1. Positional vertigo : The patient feels a spinning or whirling sensation. The feeling lasts for a few seconds to minutes and occurs only if the head is taken into the provoking position. The position can be just lying down on the bed or sitting up from lying own position, or just looking up or then turning your head in either direction
As the name goes Positional vertigo will occur when the typical position for the affected canal is stimulated by moving the head at a particular angle.
This may be followed by nausea and vomiting.
2. Vestibular hypofunction : The patient feels dizziness and imbalance. Patient explains it as a floating or rocking sensation. Patient may also feel being pulled in one direction or being heavily weighted. May also have trouble in focusing objects or tracking objects with eyes, oversensitivity to loud noises. etc.
TREATMENT :
Canal repositioning manuvers are useful in complete remission of positional vetrtigo whereas VESTIBULAR REAHBILITATION THERAPY helps in hypofunction. There are various drugs that a Neurologist or ENT doctor may use to relieve the patient frm acute attacks of vertigo.
HOW DOES TEAM HELP :
TEAM has NeuroTherapists which are trained and experienced in Vestibular Rehabilitation.
We have a detailed initial evaluation which we perform on the patient and then decide treatment. The treatment is also discussed with the primary doctor and we usually request to stop the vertigo medications when doing Physiotherapy.
With Positional vertigo, REPOSITONING MANUVERS usually give 100 % results in >90%patients .It is a one time treatment and only a few nos of patients have to be re treated.
In other type of Vertigo, the patient has to perform exs for about 4-6 weeks .These can be done under the supervision of the therapist or at home. We at TEAM, help patient learn tehseexs and they can then do it at home. They are asked to visit regularly for progression of exs.
Post treatment, the patient is re-evaluated to check if all the symptoms are gone.
We have successfully treated many patients with VERTIGO till now . We conduct training programs for physiotherapists on vertigo management, also conduct camps to create awareness on vestibular rehab.