Vertigo, which is usually caused by problems in the inner ear, can be a debilitating condition leading to falls, nausea and emotional distress. Exercise can increase your balance and allow you to resume regular activities. Recognizing signs of vertigo will allow you to seek medical treatment early and help you to experience relief from this condition.
Description
A person experiencing vertigo feels as if he or his surroundings are spinning, turning, falling or moving when he is at rest. This feeling can come with nausea, as with motion sickness. Vertigo causes a feeling of unbalance and can lead to a person falling. If you are experiencing these symptoms, know that vertigo is not usually a sign of serious or life-threatening disease.
Causes
Vertigo is most often caused by a problem to the balance organ of your inner ear and cochlea. The vestibular labyrinth is a sensitive organ in your inner ear and is responsible for maintaining balance. When it experiences damage or impairment, false signals are sent to the brain, and you experience vertigo.
Brandt-Daroff
The Brandt-Daroff exercise speeds up the compensation process and lessens vertigo symptoms, according to Blue Shield of California. Your physical therapist may prescribe this therapy if you have benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or labyrinthitis. These conditions are not cured by Brandt-Daroff exercise but are lessened over time.
Sit and quickly lean toward the side of your body that experiences the most severe vertigo. Keep leaning until you are lying on your side with your ear down. Remain in this position for 30 seconds or until your vertigo dissipates. Sit up, wait for any dizziness to stop, and repeat the exercise on the other side of your body. Continue to perform the exercise 20 times, two times per day.
Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises
Cawthorne-Cooksy exercises are meant to be performed for one hour per day. If you find an exercise difficult to complete in one session, split the time up throughout the day. Cawthorne-Cooksy exercises should be performed in bed, sitting and standing.
First, look up and down, then side to side, then focus on a finger moving from 1 to 3 feet away from you. Move your eyes slowly at first then increase speed.
For the second phase, again begin slowly and later close your eyes while increasing the speed. Bend your head forward then backward, and turn from one side to the other side 20 times. When you are finished, shrug your shoulders and make circular movements. Bend forward and pick an object off the ground. Repeat these steps 20 times, and then switch from sitting to standing up 20 times with your eyes open and closed.
Toss a small ball between each of you hands above eye level and then under each knee. Do this while switching between standing and sitting.
Walk in a circle around another person. Throw a large ball back and forth between to you.
Practice walking across a room with your eyes open and then closed. Find an elevated surface to walk up and down with your eyes open and closed, then steps to walk up and down with your eyes open and closed.
