Vertigo/Vestibular/Balance Disorders
Dr. Nathan Prissel, PT, DPT
CEO & Owner of Liberty Physical Therapy
A Message From Dr. Nathan Prissel, Owner & Founder Of Liberty Physical Therapy & Performance
If you’ve recently found yourself struggling with vertigo, dizziness, or balance issues, you may be quite concerned, and understandably so. It is true that in some cases these symptoms, if associated with other symptoms, can be quite serious and may need further medical attention. However, most cases of vertigo, dizziness and balance issues are benign and can be treated with conservative measures like physical therapy. Rest assured, Doctors of Physical Therapy are trained to rule in or out the appropriatenes for conservative physical therapy treatment or if your case requires a referral to a specialist.
On the otherhead, maybe your symptoms are nothing new to you or you’ve been told there’s nothing to do about it – if that’s the case, it can be very tempting to pass it off as “nothing serious” and simply “put up with it as something that happens as you age” carrying on as best you can.
Or, you can very easily become discouraged and disheartened, feeling “stuck” or “given up on”, wondering if you’ll ever feel comfortable being active again.
If that’s happening to you, you’re not alone – we’ve worked with people going through this same thing countless times. In fact, we see people living with these symptoms far longer than they ever should. Just this week, I had a client ask me, “So you’re saying my balance and dizziness can improve?” Yes. Most definitely.
Traditionally, after clearing red flags doctors and medical professionals will just tell people to “rest” or to try this or that medication…on top of all the other medications they may or may not be already taking.
Have you ever read the side effects of these medications?
Almost all have dizziness as a side effect. Sounds pretty absurd if you’re asking me.
Now that’s not to say there may be appropriate times for these medications, but far to often they are prescribed like candy and don’t get after the source of the vertigo, dizziness or balance disorder. Instead, they just mask the symptoms, and if taken for long enough duration, can actually be detrimental to your health, or make matters worse. It’s no wonder people get frustrated and find themselves asking:
“It’s Been Months Now - So Why Am I STILL Suffering With Vertigo, Dizziness, or Unsteady Balance?”
Does That Sound Like You?
Another scenario we see all the time in our Physical Therapy Clinic is when people go to the Doctor, and the Doctor tells them they have vertigo. If they’re not given a prescription, they may instead be given a handout of exercises to try. However what’s found to be the case more often than not, the Doctor doesn’t have the time or hasn’t taken the time to first make sure these are the right exercises to perform in the first place. “See how these go and get back to me.”
Sure, by mere chance, sometimes it may work, but most often it does not. You’ll go back to the Doctor with the same frustrations and maybe, just maybe receive an order for physical therapy. Count yourself fortunate is they send you to a good Doctor of Physical Therapy.
What if instead, you could just start with someone who has the proper training and the time necessary to ensure quality of care, with treatment that is tailored specifically for your case? And at the same time…not rush to prescribe a new medication, that’s likely just masking your symptoms and not getting down to your TRUE SOURCE.
Unfortunately, in our broken healthcare field, this happens more often than you’d like to admit…sometimes to no fault of the Doctor. They may simply not have the time to properly sift through the differential diagnoses, and as a result, your treatment plan may be doomed to fail from the start.
What we know definitively is that all vertigo, dizziness or balance issues do not share the same source and likewise, should not be treated in the same way…
It’s not a cookie cutter or one-size-fits all approach. Instead, a thorough evaluation and investigation to rule your specific causes in or out NEEDS to take precedent..
So maybe you’re confused and frustrated because you’ve been told different things, by different people. Maybe you think you have an inner ear problem that’s been affecting your balance, when in reality it’s actually coming from your neck?
Vertigo, dizziness or balance disorders can be very confusing because more often than not, it’s multifactorial. Sometimes it’s a quick fix, like that of true BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo…that’s a tongue twister), but often times there’s a musculoskeletal (bone/joint/muscle/tendon/ligament) component that’s also involved. Sometimes it’s a slowed response from the receptors that are responsible for automatically adjusting your blood pressure with positional changes, while othertimes it may truly be a side effect of polypharmacy (interactions of too many system-wide medications in your body).
This confusion often leads people to continuing to procrastinate and put off making a decision about what to do to help fix their problem and return back to exercise or activity. Worse, many people just end up accepting ‘their days of being active are over’ – as if it’s normal or ‘has’ to be that way.
Is That How You Feel Too?
If You’re Currently Frustrated And Living With Vertigo, Dizziness or Balance Issues, Here’s 7 More Reasons Why It Could Be Lasting Longer Than It Should:
1. You thought it would go away on it’s own – but it didn’t
2. 2. You went to the Doctor who told you to rest, take a new medication – but the pills did nothing to help, or as soon as they wore off, you were left in the same starting position all over again
3. A family member, or friend, told you that everyone is more prone to vertigo, dizziness or balance issues as they get older, so you just accepted it
4. You sought help from other Healthcare Professionals or a Physio in the past, but nothing they said or did seemed to help
5. You’ve tried using other things like herbal remedies, essential oils or other natural concoctions, but they’ve done nothing to help make the vertigo, dizziness or balance issues better or return to activity with ease
6. You thought it would be a good idea to rest because movement seemed to make things worse, but it still bothers you daily
7. You decided to look up exercises to work on balance, hoping that would fix your problem, but they didn’t do anything in the long-term
If any of these have happened to you – we would love to help you by inviting you to book a call to talk with our Doctor of physical therapy to find out what can be done to help you. The fact that you’ve tried any or all of these things already is actually a GOOD THING because when you know what doesn’t work – you are closer to finding the thing that does!
Click the link below to book a call with us if you would like to get some solid advice given to you over the phone. The phone call is complimentary and there is no obligation to book any appointments with us after the call is over. Our goal is to help you make the right decision about what to do next.
Together, you and your therapist will come up with a plan to heal, while maintaining strength and building up the resiliency of your muscles, tendons, and joints.
They will show you how to incorporate certain exercises into your warm up and training regimen in order to prevent these issues from popping up in the future.
1. First off, you need to make a decision about getting help – so many people procrastinate for so long, thinking that the vertigo, dizziness, or balance issue will ‘just go away with time’. Then 6 months down the line they’re still putting up with it, and nothing’s changed. Or it gets worse and they’re still sitting out from being active, or exercising completely.
2. Next, do the RIGHT exercises – one of the best things to help you recover quickly from an episode of vertigo, dizziness or balance issues is to do the right series of treatments paired with specific progressed exercises – the right exercises given to you by a Doctor of Physical Therapy will help reduce your symptoms, and allow you to move more freely and return to your chosen activities once again quickly – and make sure, in most cases, that the problems don’t come back any time soon.
3. Avoid “too much rest” – while rest may be an important part of the recovery process, too much rest won’t do anything to help you recover quickly. Many people believe that recovery means total rest from activity or exercise. But in order for your problem to recover, proper supervised exercise is most assuredly needed to jump start your healing process…All with the goal of regaining your confidence and independence!
4. Get real, “hands-on” Physical Therapy – Physical Therapy is proven to help people with most cases of vertigo, dizziness or balance disorders.. In fact at Liberty Physical Therapy & Performance we help people recover from these ailments all year round. If your symptoms are stopping you from staying active or playing sports, if it’s affecting your job, or if it threatens your independence and gets in the way of spending quality time with family and friends – Physical Therapy can help get you back to living the life you deserve as quickly as possible.
If you would like to know how the Physical Therapy team at Liberty Physical Therapy & Performance clinics in Rosemount and Lakeville can help you return to being active as quickly and safely as possible – we invite you to start with a completely free, no-obligation, risk free appointment at one of our clinics.
Note: This Free Total Body Diagnostic session is something that we offer to people who are very nervous or skeptical about Physical Therapy – unsure of its benefits or if it is right for them. If that sounds like you, then please start with a Free Total Body Diagnostic session so that we can work with you to find out what is wrong and what can be done – without any financial risk on your part.
So The Next Question Is...
"How Can Choosing To See A Physical Therapist At Liberty Physical Therapy & Performance Help You Get Rid Of Your Vertigo, Dizziness, or Balance Issue For Good?"
- We can quickly improve your symptoms - often inside a couple of sessions
- We can help you find out what’s really going on, and get to the root cause of your problems once and for all - often inside 20 minutes
- Vertigo, dizziness, or balance issures can often “zap” you of energy and put you out of staying active or playing your favorite sport - we can help you to enjoy living with more energy each day, and return to doing what you love safely
- We will ensure that your problem is “corrected” and “healed” properly - and we will provide you with the perfect set of exercises that will speed up your recovery
- We can help you put an end to needing to take all of those medications (in most cases) which are obviously not very good for your long-term health
- We can help you keep out of the Doctor’s waiting room where you’ll be told to “rest” again
- We can help you get back to enjoying quality time with family and friends that your symptoms have taken from you
- We can help you to finally be able to walk, and move freely, without worrying if your symptoms are going to get worse and stop you in your tracks
Basically, the Physical Therapy team at Liberty Physical Therapy & Performance can help you get back to living life free from daily annoying and frustrating symptoms associated with vertigo, dizziness or balance issues, and return to the activities you love.
If you want to know what it costs – and what availability we have at our clinics in Rosemount and Lakeville then please just click the button below and complete the short form:
If there are issues that can be resolved, you shouldn’t have to give up the runs you enjoy.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nathan Prissel, PT, DPT, CEO
Owner of Liberty Physical Therapy
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