Your vestibular system is a sensory system that provides input in our sense of spatial orientation and balance. The same as any part of our body’s system, the vestibular system can also become prone to injury or impairment.
Each year, more than a million patients visit their doctors due to dizziness. Most commonly, individuals over the age of 65 present with vestibular disorders, but vestibular disorders can happen at any age. Often, dizziness is generally not serious but it could be a sign of balance impairment. It can be because of medication side effects, inner ear disorder, neck dysfunction or symptoms of a more serious condition like brain or heart problem. Dizziness, nausea and vision changes are signs that there’s an ongoing negative feedback mechanism and it has to be corrected.
While pharmaceutical options and surgery are known to improve dizziness, evidence for vestibular rehabilitation is growing. Vestibular rehabilitation programs are specifically designed base on individual’s overall symptoms and through biomechanics analysis. The therapy must only be administered by qualified clinicians.