Vestibular Rehab / Dizziness & Balance
Vestibular rehabilitation is physical therapy for dizziness, unsteadiness and balance problems that come from the inner ear or the brain. Treatment trains your brain and balance system to work together again and lowers your risk of falling. Xcelerate Physical Therapy offers vestibular therapy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
What the vestibular system does
Your vestibular system is the balance system in the inner ear, working with your eyes, joints and brain to tell you where your head and body are. When something disrupts it, you may feel as if you are moving, spinning or floating while standing still, or as if you may tip over when you walk.
Dizziness means different things to different people. For one person it is a passing wave of lightheaded, for another it is feeling off balance or unsteady on my feet in a way that does not go away. Balance problems can be caused by certain health conditions, medications, or a problem in the inner ear or the brain, and the risk rises with age.
Common causes and diagnoses we work with
Inner ear
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, see vertigo and BPPV
- Labyrinthitis
- Ménière's disease
- Vestibular neuronitis
Nerves and brain
- Central nervous system disorders
- Neuropathy
- Nerve injuries
- Oculomotor, or visual, dysfunction
Body and age
- Age-related balance dysfunction
- Muscle atrophy
- Arthritis or other joint problems
Questions that tell you it is time to ask for help
If you answer yes to any of these, talk with a physical therapist and your doctor.
- Do I feel unsteady or lightheaded?
- Do I feel as if the room is spinning, or as if I am moving when I am still?
- Do I lose my balance, or feel as if I am falling?
- Do I have blurred vision?
- Do I ever feel disoriented, losing my sense of time or place?
What your evaluation and treatment look like
If you are looking for balance therapy near me, this is what it involves. Treatment can be complex, because there are many causes of dizziness and many reasons for poor balance.
Balance and eye-movement testing
We test your balance, how your eyes track and how you move, and ask when and how the dizziness started.
A plan built around the cause
Your therapist works with your doctor, who first rules out other health conditions or medications as the cause.
Retraining the inner ear and brain
Treatment can include coordination exercises, proprioception exercises, strengthening, stretching and range of motion, posture exercises, retraining of the inner ear and visual tracking training. For BPPV the Epley maneuver may be used.
Education that you take home
Understanding your diagnosis, its cause and how to manage it is a large part of therapy.
Fall prevention and fear of falling
Reduce fall risk
Your therapist reviews footwear and household hazards such as loose rugs, poor lighting and obstacles.
Reduce fear of falling
Addressing the problems found in your exam helps you trust your balance and get back to normal activities.
Care collaboration
Working with your doctor gives you two sets of expert eyes on your condition. See Fall Prevention for the full approach.
Go to the ER right away if dizziness comes with
These are signs of an emergency, not something to wait on a physical therapy visit for.
- Slurred speech
- A drooping face
- Weakness in an arm or leg
- A sudden, severe headache
In Pennsylvania you can see a physical therapist without a physician’s referral, but your insurance may require one: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit.
Related care
Vestibular and balance care in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
Xcelerate Physical Therapy treats vestibular and balance at our Newtown Square clinic, 214 S. Newtown Street Road.
In Pennsylvania you can see a physical therapist without a physician’s referral, but your insurance may require one: call the number on your insurance card to check, or call us before your first visit.
Meet the people who treat you on our team page.