Balance control is made up of 3 components: vision, proprioception, and the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. All three work in concert to orient us within our physical environment. When there is a problem with one of these elements, it causes balance issues including dizziness and vertigo.
Dizziness means a sensation of instability in space. Vertigo is the phenomenon whereby one has the impression that their surroundings are spinning around them.
The most common vestibular diagnosis that physiotherapists treat is BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). Within the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear (consisting of three semicircular canals), there are very tiny crystals that are fixed onto hair cells, which transmit information about the position of the head to the brain. In BPPV, these crystals have become detached from the hair cells, which confuses the signals coming from the vestibular apparatus and consequently elicits vertigo. To remediate this issue, the physiotherapist prescribes specific maneuvers to remove the detached crystals from the affected semicircular canal.
Dizziness is also one of the concussion symptoms that physiotherapy can address. Due to the cerebral trauma leading to a concussion, the coordination of various cerebral processes such as the oculomotor reflexes is disrupted. The oculomotor reflexes refer to the automatic eye movements that occur in response to the head movements. When these reflexes are affected, dizziness can ensue. In physiotherapy, the patient performs progressive exercises that improve the coordination between the eye movements and those of the head and body.
Cervicogenic dizziness is another form of dizziness which is caused by excess muscular tension and stiffness of the neck (cervical) vertebrae. Muscles and ligaments particularly those of the neck contain proprioceptors, which are nerves responsible for the orientation of the body part controlled by the muscles and ligaments. When there is significant tension and stiffness in the neck, the signals coming from the proprioceptors become confused, which can cause dizziness. Through manual techniques and certain exercises, physiotherapy can help resolve this problem.
514-963-0519
francisphysio1@gmail.com
francisphysio.com