Spinning Into Springtime: Here’s How Physical Therapy Can Put An End To Your Dizziness
Have you ever felt the world spinning around you when getting up, lying down, rolling in bed, bending forward to pick something up, or looking up at the sky? Are there times when you feel dizzy or a bit “off,” like you need to take an extra step to keep your balance? Do you ever feel that your eyes have difficulty keeping up with your head movement?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be dealing with an impairment of your vestibular system, and physical therapy may be able to help!
Vertigo, Verti-gone: How Physical Therapy Can Help You Shake Dizziness and Prevent Falls
You roll over in bed to silence your alarm clock when suddenly, the room begins to spin. You roll quickly back towards the center of the bed with significant fear of not knowing up from down or if you may fall out of bed. The spinning is severe, disorienting, and can even cause the uncomfortable sensation of nausea. However, within a minute or so, it seems to settle until you try to get up again. There are lots of types of dizziness experienced by millions of people daily, but this sensation is true vertigo. Vertigo is characterized by spinning dizziness, and you will first want it to be verti-gone. In this case, a physical therapist is one of the best professionals for you to visit.
The Link between COVID-19 and Dizziness
In 2020, you couldn’t turn on your television without being bombarded with reports of the Coronavirus or COVID-19. For many of us, the holidays looked a little different this year, whether wearing face masks or celebrating via Zoom or FaceTime. At this point, it’s possible you have either personally been diagnosed or have a loved one that has been affected by the virus. Since the first established COVID-19 case, the understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, screening guidelines and medical management of the virus have been ever-evolving.
Busy & Dizzy: Treating Dizziness with Physical Therapy
Nearly 40 percent of U.S. adults experience vertigo at least once in their lifetime.1 Symptoms may include feeling as if the room is spinning or just a general lightheadedness. Either way, these symptoms may interfere with your life. Complaints can vary in severity, but may be so severe that you are unable to work.
Why am I Dizzy?
Dizziness is among the most common reasons patients visit the emergency room, with more than 85 different conditions that can cause this symptom.1 One of most common causes for their dizziness that individuals seek emergency care for is Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BBPV. About 50 percent of all dizziness in the older population is due to Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), and accounts for 20 percent of dizziness across all ages.2
If the Room is Spinning, Physical Therapy Can Help
Have you ever woken up and felt dizzy? Did you feel like the room was spinning? Chances are, you thought something was seriously wrong and possibly went to the ER. Once all the medical tests were done and it was cleared that you were not having a stroke, you may have been given an anti-vertigo medication and sent home. What many people do not know is that this condition is something that could easily be treated without medication and can be cleared in as little as one session with a physical therapist. I am talking about positional vertigo, one of the most common reasons that people visit their primary doctor. (more…)
