Physiotherapy For Vestibular Dysfunction?
Mar 6, 2014
After my ENT said my vertigo/dizziness was caused by BPPV, I was sent to see a physical therapist. The PT did a lot of testing and actually ruled out BPPV (which I suspected would happen), and said I most likely have a unilateral vestibular deficit. (I had a bad sinus infection a few months ago that took forever to get better which caused some ear issues, including diagnosed Eustachian Tube Dysfunction). She explained things very well (much better than my ENT ever did...) and has started me on some therapy exercises to help me get used to/help make the vertigo better.
Has anyone else gone through this type of physical therapy? Has it worked in helping you feel better (less dizzy/vertigo)?
View 2 Replies
Advertisement
2 years ago I had gotten a bad ear infection after a trip to Disney from pool is what doctors believe. It was misdiagnosed at first so it severely damaged my vestibular nerve on my left side with 80% weakness. Of course this was all found out after the slew of mri's, mra's, various vestibular testing, color/hot water in ears etc. 6 months of testing and 2 rounds of vestibular therapy have not helped me at all. I am on my 4th
specialist in NYC who finally put me on acetazolamide for the sick side effects of nausea and brain fog. 6 months into these pills and now my body is starting to become accustomed to them and are not working so well. My symptoms are
1) Overall unsteadiness and dizziness (fall to the left)
I work in NYC so my commute walking is the worst, shopping too.
2) Brain Fog - how else to explain this just a horrible feeling in my head
constantly that very rarely feels better.
3) Nausea (without the pills I could just be laying in my bed and fell like
I am going to throw up)
4) Disgust and Depression over this whole mess I am only 51.
I am told by many doctors 95% of people recover, right side compensates for the left side over time. This has not happened at all. I also have never heard of anyone having it constantly for this long. Can someone at least tell me they are the same?
View 51 Replies
Does anyone know if it is possible to over do the vestibular rehabilitation training for vestibular neuritis recovery?
I have mild vestibular neuritis and was prescribed, by a balance physiotherapist, a vestibular rehabilitation training program. This developed 13 months ago, and with the VRT, it did clear up. The symptoms came back recently and I've started VRT again. This time I'm having trouble recovering.
I do an intense program of 6-7 different exercises, 5 times per day, plus 40 minutes of walking or running per day. I do this everyday of the week without days off. Could I be over training and not allowing the brain to compensate?
View 11 Replies
I'm 16 years old and have severe flat feet. i have a lot of pain in my feet, legs, knees, hips and back. i started to go to physiotherapy and the doctors said i had the worst feet he had ever seen (he was surprised i could still walk) i then went to one of the best orthopedic surgeons in my area. after looking at my Xrays he said that there were 2 options 1. surgery and 2. intensive physiotherapy. my parents decided that surgery would be a better fit as physio may not work. after getting an MRI the surgeon has again returned with 2 options surgery or orthotics. my parents now want to see if orthotics will work. But i want the surgery i have had 3 sets of orthotics already (custom made) and they don't seem to work. i really want the surgery and i don't know how to tell my parents i am going into grade 12 (senior year) and my parents believe it will affect my studies but i have maintained good grade. should i have a say? how can i convince them to get the surgery?
View 1 Replies
On January the 19th I broke my humerus - transverse fracture, slightly not aligned -(I'm 23). I had a surgery after a couple of days with percutaneous fixation with wires, then I was put in a sling for over a month. About two weeks ago I removed the wires in day surgery and was told to try and remove the sling and make some pendulum exercise with my arm.
At the moment I've recovered the elbow movement nearly at 100%, but I can't raise my arm nor move it anywhere. In a couple of days I'll have another X Ray, then an orthopedic examination.
I think and hope the doctor will tell me to start physiotherapy... I'd like to ask you how much time I will need to recover a good range of movement for ordinary life activities (like driving, wearing normally, running)
View 1 Replies
I am feeling quite distraught after my appointment with the physio, she assessed my penguin walking which I am quite proud of, it is a tiny bit of progress - I thought I was doing okay....I am managing well given I am looking after two young children with no help, the house and a house full of animals - she told me off for prioritising the children which is impossible for me to do otherwise at the moment.
But the worst of it is when she corrected my posture has caused so much pain in my non operated hip, groin and back, it has left me in agony, I actually feel sick.
I have never felt so despondent in my life, she made me feel terrible, and finished by saying that I probably need a hip replacement for the left hip just like that! As if it was nothing. I felt slapped by that casual comment - given what we all go through it is not the best news, and I could have done with her breaking it to me a little more gently.
View 57 Replies
After recent x-rays for chronic hip pain, (as well as frequent knee and lower back pain),, my GP diagnosed me today with Perthes' Disease. Several years ago, after a fall in a martial arts class that hurt my back. My chiropractor had x-rays performed, which showed that I had, indeed, bent my tail bone at a right angle... as well as revealing my malformed hip joint for the first time.
I am a 50 y.o. female. For a variety of reasons, my GP is opting for the physiotherapy route for treatment/management, rather than hip replacement surgery. My femoral head is flattened (the X-ray Technician even exclaimed, "Oh! I've never seen one shaped like THAT before!", and even showed me the x-ray film.
I have been doing some further research about the disease, which mentioned a link with hypothyroidism, delayed bone growth - I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was about 11/12 y.o., at which time the specialist told my mum that I had the bone structure of a 9 y.o.
I used to be quite active, and used to run, practised martial arts, bicycling... Since the pain worsened and is now pretty much a daily thing, I have eliminated those activities. I do walk fairly frequently now; but, I often wind up in pain that keeps me awake at night. Now, I am curious to know how successful and helpful physiotherapy is likely to be at my age, and what I can, reasonably expect. At what stage, will hip replacement be the "best" option?
View 4 Replies
I have bells palsy since from 25 years and i have taken lot of treatments for that like ayurvedic medicine but it is not recovered.Now im taking physiotherapy for face its showing some improvement from 32days but mouth not deviated properly ...
View 4 Replies
I got bells palsy worse condition on my face. I was under physiotherapy treatment for 10-15 days.But still i haven't recovered completely from it i can say only 60% has recovered till the date i have same issue .
1. When i smile my eyes sinks it looks like its almost closed but its not.
2. when i speak lower lid of the eye part goes up and down.
3. My left eye looks little smaller than the other.
4. If i try to pucker my lips the affected part(leftist part of the lips will always move to the righter part) this is not normal
I am planning to go for acupuncture treatment i am confused.
View 3 Replies
I would like to ask a question re Physio. Some of you seem to think your PT has been superb. Can I ask what he/she does with you. I feel that mine has been a total waste of space and I'm not sure what to do yo try to improve the angle of the bend in my knee.
I go back on Thursday to see my surgeon, it will be 7.5 weeks since the op. I want to be able to speak honestly to him about my experience.
Today I went into town with my daughter and 5 year old granddaughter. Hitchin is an old market town with cobble streets and lots of steps up and down on and off pavements. I went without a stick, big big regret. I am almost 7 weeks post-TKR. My leg was in agony and I couldn't wait to get home. That was really depressing as I thought I was doing so much better.
View 31 Replies
I've been having pain sitting, standing, & walking very far (at all) for over a year now. I had a spinal fusion done at the L -5/S -1 level back in 2002, & my docs keep close tabs on my back. I've had a tiny tear in the L-4 for many years, but most the docs feel my current problem has absolutely nothing to do with my spine - I agree. I have been diagnosed with a hip labral tear in my right hip socket about 4 months ago, but not bothered enough to do the drastic surgery. Doc injected left hip socket due to pain, but again, not my main problem.
I've had physical therapy (which aggravated the left socket), steroid injections into the ischial tuberosity bursa (both sides) - due to the doc thinking probable ischial tuberosity bursitis, which it is not, & am scheduled for an EMG down both sides of my lumbar spine (I hate those tests - they really hurt!). Meanwhile, I've been working with my chiropractor who does adjustments, percussion massage, iontophoresis, & cold laser treatment on me twice a week.
NO ONE knows what this is, WHERE to send me, or how to FIX it!
View 1 Replies
On nov 10th I was in Penn station in NYC with my 3.5 year old daughter and aunt and just had a wonderful day in NYC. I bent down to grab something from the stroller before boarding the train and when I stood up I felt like I was going to pass out and that my brain was floating and I was moving. My aunt freaked out and said we have to get on the train. We did and the spinning and horrible sensation of movement continued along with the train my brain was in overdrive. I then had a panic attack all hoping to just make it to the stop so we could get off the train. I had suffered a panic attack years before so I thought maybe this is some sort of panic disorder?? Got off the train and drove home still didn't feel right. The next morning I went to my dr and he said I had vertigo it would be for 2 weeks and gave me antivert to take. I had blood taken which all came back normal. I should preface that I had been to the dr the week before complaining of dizziness but it was attributed to a sinus infection he thought I had since I was starting to have a sore throat. I took levaquin an antibiotic 3 days before the incident in penn station. I know now for a fact that I was suffering from vestibular neuritis probably prior to the incident in penn station. I had gotten off an elliptical bike and felt very dizzy and heart racing but I attributed it to not cooling down. I also had about a week prior to the main incident a light headed feeling and chills each time I was eating. For me eating at the beginning would trigger a lot of feeling I was moving.
Well I took the antivert meds and tried to take care of my daughter since I'm a stay at home mom. Trying to stay awake on antivert was the worst thing I did and it put me into a severe depression like state. I have a mother who suffers from depression and I felt like I was in a hole I couldn't get out of. I called my dr and asked if I could have a perscription for xanax anything I felt like I was in a constant state of anxiety and panic along with the constant movement and unbalance and stress of what I was going to do to take care of my daughter. I finally decided to the ER where they finally gave me valium which def helped to calm me down and understand that this is a virus and not an anxiety disorder. I went to my ENT and got the vestibular neuritis. My ent told me he had suffered from a bout of this years ago and everything I was feeling was normal the panic the anxiety and was disappointed I had to go to the ER to obtain something to help me. He prescribed valium which I took at night the first 10 days. I was able to get a nanny for my daughter. I'm in week 4 and each day is different. I came down with a cold during week 3 which I think set things off again. I'm getting better from the cold. I suffer from TMJ and think it's made it hard because a lot of times before this illness I would wake up with a horrible headache from teeth grinding.
The mornings are the worst for me. I'm sensitive to light and feel very lightheaded and very out of it. The coughing has made my back and neck very sore. I just each morning hope I won't have the feeling of floating and just want to feel in control again.
I haven't driven since this happened. I haven't been able to take care of my daughter which is the worst of all.
I need advice on how to get back on my feet again I feel good some parts of the day and other parts I feel like I'm floating. I have been out of the house only a few times in 4 weeks. Always with my husband or a friend. This past Sunday we went out and I felt pretty good but I'm really afraid about going out alone.
View 2 Replies
My wife has had acute vestibular failure/vestibular neuritis/neuronitis for the last 13 weeks and wants to have the flu vaccination but is apprehensive in case it makes her illness worse. So, is it safe to be vaccinated? She is so ill with the vertigo etcetera and feels that a dose of flu would finish her off. She has asked her GP who says it is OK but the GP doesn't seem to know much about this illness.
View 2 Replies
Anyone have luck with acupuncture for vestibular neuritis ?
View 1 Replies
A year ago I fell extremely ill - I was fine the one day and the next I woke up with an extreme feeling of drunkenness, disorientation and fatigue. For the first few weeks I struggled to do anything - read, walk, drive, understand lectures (I am a student).
I went to a bunch of GPs in my area and none of them had any idea. eventually after about 4 months of feeling like this a doctor diagnosed me with "chronic fatigue syndrome" and that with rest and the right nutritional changes it should clear up in the next few months.
Fast forward 7 months and I still have this incredibly debilitating brain fog. I decided that CFS can't be correct cause I was extremely diligent and had no improvement whatsoever. I ended up seeing an ENT and he diagnosed vestibular neuritis.
Reading through the forums, many of my symptoms overlap - confusion, "brain fog", difficulty in stores and busy places, difficulty reading, problems with spacial awareness, cognitive problems, improvement of symptoms from morning to evening, fatigue, depression and anxiety.
However, at no point during the acute phase or the chronic phase of the illness have I ever felt "dizziness". The rooms has never spun, I've never fallen over, my balance seems fine. All of these being defining features of VN.
Is it possible to have VN without the dizziness? Am I perhaps misinterpreting what is meant by "dizziness" in the context of VN? My understanding of dizziness is the feeling you get when as a child you spun around in circles until the ground started to wobble and the world spin. I have never felt this during my illness.
I have just started VRT and it doesn't seem to have helped so far - I've been doing it for a week and I understand that it may be months before we have any noticeable improvement. I also just had a tonsillectomy and my symptoms deteriorated significantly postoperative.
Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? Does this sound like just VN or could there be something else going on?
(I've had an MRI, Autoimmune screen, pretty much every blood test, hearing tests, CT scans - all of which came back fine)
How long has VRT taken to make a difference for you?
View 11 Replies
So I'm just about three years out from my initial attack. These days I feel great I've compensated, but here and there I'll have a dizzy moment. Next week my husband and I are flying with our three children to the west coast. I'm getting nervous and I'm having anxiety because I honestly do not know what to expect since this will be my first time flying with a vestibular problem. I certainly want to avoid being dizzy if possible. Any tips? Personal experience with flying? I asked my ENT, about flying after this he said people aren't bothered.
View 14 Replies
went on a cruise over a mo. ago still having vertigo. Doc thinks it is Vestibular Neuritis. Any input? I had never cruised before.
View 4 Replies
how to deal with this thing feel like I am walking on air.
View 4 Replies
I know why you're here...You are on these boards hoping and praying to be released from the nightmare that is Vestibular Neuritis. I explained why I spent so much time on these boards to my husband this way: It's like we've been thrown in prison for a crime we didn't commit and we need to spend every, single, waking moment looking for a way to escape--some miracle answer that will relieve us from these horrible symptoms. We've tried just about everything and we've done what our doctors have told us, but the symptoms persist...
I am here to tell you that there is hope. I was diagnosed with VN in April 2013. I was told that the condition would only last "a few weeks," and then I'd be back to normal. That absolutely did not happen. The symptoms hung on and on and on for months--I'm still not completely healed--and in the process, I have had to adjust my entire life. But today, as I type this, I am not nearly as sick and dizzy and nauseous as I once was. I can carry on conversations with people and not feel like I'm going to spin out of control! I can sit in a meeting at work and focus.
I seem to have had all of the symptoms: Nausea (really felt like I was on a boat for about 2-3 months; ringing in the ears (which they say doesn't happen with VN, but I am proof that it can); popping in the ears; ear fullness; tingly scalp; creepy crawly sensations on the face; numbness in the fingers (due to horrific anxiety); severe imbalance; really horrible neck pain; fullness in the cheeks just under the eye and near the nose; difficulty concentrating; awful dizziness; and the worst for me: real difficulty in driving. I pretty much had to stop driving all but the very shortest of distances. This has been so depressing and hard as a very busy mom who also works outside the home.
I would wake up every day and not be able to believe I was still in this horrible situation. I would start moving around a little and sure enough, the dizziness and nausea and imbalance would follow. And we have the one disorder where they tell us that medication actually hurts us in the long run! Such a Catch-22. I was fearful of taking Ativan or Valium or anything addictive, even though it would certainly help with the awful anxiety and the dizziness. It was a nightmare. I still can't believe it has happened to me.
But...The brain really does--slowly--start to figure things out. I liken this to a marathon, and each day is only one small step of recovery--or more accurately, each week is like one step on the journey. It's that slow. Or imagine trying to get through a 24-hour day, and each week of recovery is like just one second ticking on the clock. It's just really, really, really slow. More painfully slow than any of us can imagine or bear, but we are progressing.
I also decided in July to take an SSRI. It is non-habit forming and I read one study that suggested that SSRIs actually help with ear function. I needed to get something to reduce the anxiety. I was having panic attacks just about every day. And also, having to accept that my life has been so disruptive has been indeed depressing, so the SSRI I think is helping with that.
Today, the ear popping and fullness has stopped. I still have ringing. I am not nearly as nauseous or dizzy, but I do have my days where I can feel it profoundly--these are fewer and farther between. Relapses happen, which is beyond depressing, but they are short lived. I can drive a little further--still not full time, but getting a little better with lessened anxiety. Bottom line is that it's just not as bad as it was. I think that's how we have to measure this. We have to say, "Did I feel better or worse last summer?" Not, "Did I feel better yesterday?" The improvement is so slow it's almost immeasurable, but it's there.
I would just encourage anyone out there to keep the faith and take care of yourself. A good friend of mine that I found through these boards reminded me of that. It's going to be okay. We're just in a tough spot right now, but we're not alone, and it does get better. Hang in there, friends!!
View 14 Replies
About 3 months ago (Nov 1). I woke up one morning and did not feel dizzy but definitely off. Groggy, lightheaded, wonky I guess you could say. I can describe it like how it would look if you were standing at the top of a tall building. Things just looked foggy to me. It scared the hell out of me. I waited about 2 weeks because I thought I was just tired. It wasn't going away so I went to the emergency room and the first thing he did was check my ear and told me it was red and inflamed which is causing me to feel wonky. He said it was a mild Vestibular Neuritis. He said it's just viral and it will go away on it's own. Well, I have gone to my family doctor about 5 times since then JUST to have her check in my ear. It's now February and she still sees that it is red and inflamed. She said she doesn't want to just throw antibiotics at it because it DEFINITELY is NOT an infections and that it is viral. She said she also does not want to prescribe dizzy meds because if the room is not spinning then she doesn't want me to take them. I feel like I'd rather feel dizzy than feel this!!! How long does this "viral" crap last???? I have not felt ANY improvement since it started. Unless I am just used to feeling this way so it doesn't seem as scary anymore?? The only way I can describe it is that I am the most tired I have EVER been in my life. (gone for TONS of bloodwork and I am totally fine everywhere). SO just super tired and I have MASSIVE sensitivity to certain lights. I work under one at work and maintenance had to come in and dim the light for me. It's so frustrating because people look at me and automatically know that something is wrong with me because they see I am trying to focus on their faces. It's been like 4 months and I can't even deal with this anymore. My doctor seems as if she is fed up with me which I hate because I obviously wouldn't be going there if there weren't a problem. Last time I went she said the ear was still red and that she was going to send me to an ENT specialist. I have been waiting SO long for this appointment and it is finally on March 3. I just have the strongest feeling they are going to send me away AGAIN saying I need an MRI and then I have to wait even LONGER. My husband and I want to try and have a baby and we have totally put our lives on hold because I don't want to be pregnant and not being able to go for these tests that you can't go to when pregnant. I just want answers. I'm so upset. I know it's not vertigo because things aren't spinning. It's so hard to describe I'm just so tired and have a foggy head and sometimes that same ear aches and even that side of my head aches too. And forget being under certain lights. Does anybody know what I am talking about?? Please help me. I'm so nervous about going to this END as well because I don't want them finding anything super serious. I am so scared from all of this and I just wish I could get some answers. Will the ENT confirm that it is in fact VN? My doctor hasn't confirmed that. She just keeps saying "it's red and it's viral." I am so fed up and so sick and tired of feeling tired and foggy and wonky.
View 22 Replies
I have had Vestibular Neuritis since I was 6 years old. I didn't find out I had this until I was about 17 years old. I was at first diagnosed at age 13 with having BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), but we discovered after about two years that this was not it, when the exercises failed to work. Once I was diagnosed correctly, I attend rehabilitation therapy. I have been doing the eye-exercises they gave for about 3 years now, and even still after that much time, if I slack off the vertigo returns. My therapist did tell me that the nerve in my inner ear was damaged and that I probably have a more severe case of VN (do to how long I have had it and describing my attacks), but has anyone else been taking this long to recover as well? I am grateful that I don't have something worse than VN, but still it is annoying (especially during the fall and spring: allergies) and I am okay if I end up dealing with it the rest of my life the exercises do keep the symptoms at bay most of the time. I was just wondering if others have taken this long or longer to recover as well.
View 2 Replies
