According to the Mayo Clinic, the sensation of dizziness is one of the main reasons why many people contact their doctor, since it often causes them to experience periodic episodes of weakness, faintness, lightheadedness and unsteadiness. It may even cause you to feel as if the room around you is spinning or tilting. Regardless of the sensation, your health care provider must first diagnosis what is causing you to feel this way. If he then discovers that you're suffering from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or an inner ear condition, like acute vestibular neuronitis or labyrinthitis, one course of treatment is vestibular rehabilitation therapy. This form of therapy consists of a series of exercise that helps to prevent or reduce the sensation of dizziness.
Step 1
Perform an oculomotor exercise with a card, recommends the University of Tennessee Medical Center. These exercises help to coordinate the eyes with the brain and thereby benefit the vestibular system. Hold a card approximately 12 to 18 inches away from the face. Move the card across a horizontal plane while tracking it with your eyes. Follow up by moving the card along a vertical plane and then a diagonal plane.
Step 2
Try a second oculomotor exercise. Hold two cards in either hand approximately 12 inches apart and 12 to 18 inches away from the face. Move your eyes from one card to the other and back again, focusing on each card for one to two seconds.
Step 3
Try a motion-tolerance exercise, recommends the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Take a seat on the edge of a bed. With your eyes open, quickly lie back. This should cause the sensation of dizziness. When it passes, sit back up again. This too may cause some dizziness, so wait a moment or two before lying back down again. Do this two to three times before moving to the next exercise.
Step 4
Remain in the seated position to perform a second motion-tolerance exercise. With your eyes open, bend forward, bringing your chest to the top of your upper legs. Once the dizziness passes, sit back in the upright position. Perform two to three times before moving to the next exercise.
Step 5
Stay in the seated position, focusing your eyes straight forward. Turn your head and eye to the left and then turn them both to the right. This is one repetition. You should do another four to complete one set before moving to the next exercise.
Step 6
Grab one of the cards used in the second step, and hold it out about an arm's length in front you. Keeping your eyes fixed on the card, turn your head to the left and then turn your head to the right. Complete ten repetitions.
Tips and Warnings
- To increase the intensity of the exercises, try performing steps 3 through 6 with your eyes closed. To further increase the intensity of the third and fourth exercises, turn your head to the left before moving the upper body either back or forward. You should then try to do these same exercises with your head turned to the right.
- Talk to your doctor before trying any of these vestibular rehabilitation exercises.
