If you’ve ever felt the room spinning when you roll over in bed, experienced dizziness when looking up, or felt unsteady walking through a busy store, you know how unsettling these sensations can be. Dizziness and vertigo affect millions of people, often making everyday activities feel risky or overwhelming.
Here’s what many people don’t realize: most forms of dizziness are highly treatable with the right approach. Vestibular physiotherapy, a specialized treatment targeting your balance system, can often resolve or significantly improve symptoms that have been limiting your life.
At Surrey Hwy 10 Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic in Surrey, BC, we use evidence-based vestibular rehabilitation to help you regain confidence, reduce dizziness, and get back to the activities you’ve been avoiding.
What Is Vestibular Physiotherapy?
Your vestibular system is the balance system housed in your inner ear that works with your eyes, muscles, and brain to keep you oriented and steady. When this system isn’t functioning properly, whether from loose crystals in your ear, nerve inflammation, or processing issues, you experience dizziness, vertigo, or imbalance.
Vestibular physiotherapy uses specific techniques and exercises to retrain your balance system. Oftentimes treating the vestibular system effectively requires a holistic approach through movement, education, and progressive challenge.
Common Vestibular Conditions We Treat
BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
BPPV is the most common cause of vertigo. It happens when tiny calcium crystals in your inner ear become dislodged and move into the wrong part of your balance system. This creates that classic room-spinning sensation when you:
- Roll over in bed
- Look up or down
- Bend forward
- Turn your head quickly
BPPV typically resolves in 1-3 physiotherapy sessions using canalith repositioning maneuvers like the Epley or Semont technique. These gentle head movements guide the crystals back where they belong, often providing immediate relief.
Vestibular Hypofunction
This occurs when one or both sides of your vestibular system aren’t working properly—often following an inner ear infection, inflammation, or sometimes with aging. You might experience blurry vision when moving your head, difficulty walking in the dark, or constant unsteadiness.
Vestibular physiotherapy for hypofunction focuses on gaze stabilization exercises and balance training that help your brain compensate for the weakened vestibular input. While recovery takes longer than BPPV (typically 1-2 months), complete resolution is very possible with consistent therapy.
Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular migraine causes dizziness, motion sensitivity, and spatial disorientation—sometimes with headaches, sometimes without. Vestibular rehabilitation can improve these symptoms significantly, especially when combined with appropriate medical management.
Treatment focuses on gradually reducing motion sensitivity through controlled exposure exercises and improving your tolerance to visual and movement triggers.
Post-Concussion Dizziness
Many people experience persistent dizziness after concussion, even when other symptoms have resolved. This often involves a combination of vestibular dysfunction, neck issues, and visual processing problems. Vestibular physiotherapy addresses all these components through targeted exercises and gradual return to activity.
How Vestibular Physiotherapy Works
Assessment and Diagnosis
Your physiotherapist will conduct specific tests to identify the source of your dizziness. For suspected BPPV, this includes the Dix-Hallpike test—a positioning maneuver that reproduces your symptoms and reveals characteristic eye movements (nystagmus) that confirm the diagnosis.
We’ll also assess your balance, gait, neck mobility, and visual tracking to understand all contributors to your symptoms. This comprehensive evaluation ensures we address the right problem with the right treatment.
Treatment Approaches
Canalith Repositioning Maneuvers (for BPPV): Simple but precisely performed head movements that guide displaced crystals out of the semicircular canals. While these maneuvers look straightforward, proper technique matters—attempting them incorrectly can worsen symptoms or move crystals to different canals.
Gaze Stabilization Exercises: Training your eyes to stay focused on a target while your head moves, rebuilding the vestibulo-ocular reflex that keeps your vision steady. These exercises directly address the blurry vision and visual instability many people experience.
Balance and Habituation Training: Progressive exercises that challenge your balance system in controlled ways, gradually reducing sensitivity to movements and environments that trigger symptoms. This might include standing on foam, walking with head turns, or practicing in visually busy environments.
Education and Strategy Development: Understanding what’s happening in your vestibular system reduces fear and helps you make informed decisions about activity. Our physiotherapists emphasize that knowledge is power—education allows you to better advocate for yourself and understand which changes reduce your dizziness and why.
What to Expect From Treatment
Most people notice improvements within the first few sessions, though the timeline varies by condition. BPPV often resolves dramatically fast—sometimes feeling 80-90% better after one treatment. Vestibular hypofunction and migraine-related dizziness improve more gradually over weeks.
Consistency matters tremendously. Vestibular exercises work through neuroplastic changes—your brain learning new patterns and compensation strategies. This requires regular practice, not occasional sessions.
When to Seek Vestibular Physiotherapy
Consider assessment if you experience:
- Sudden spinning sensations with position changes
- Persistent dizziness or unsteadiness lasting more than a few days
- Fear of falling or avoiding activities due to balance concerns
- Visual disturbances or nausea with head movement
- Symptoms following concussion that haven’t resolved
Early treatment prevents compensatory patterns from becoming ingrained and often leads to faster resolution.
The Bottom Line
Dizziness and vertigo can be frightening and limiting, but they’re not something you just have to live with. Vestibular physiotherapy offers specific, evidence-based treatments that address the root cause of your symptoms rather than just managing them temporarily.
At Surrey Hwy 10 Physiotherapy & Massage Clinic in Surrey, BC, we provide comprehensive vestibular rehabilitation using proven techniques backed by research and clinical expertise. Whether you’re dealing with BPPV that can be resolved in sessions or chronic vestibular dysfunction requiring longer rehabilitation, we’ll create a treatment plan tailored to your specific condition and goals.
If dizziness has been limiting your life, it’s time to get answers. Book an assessment and start your path toward steady, confident movement again.