How do you perform vertigo exercises correctly and safely? Vertigo is the feeling which causes you to feel as if you are spinning when you are standing motionless. It could also feel as if your surroundings are moving when they are not. While vertigo can aggravate and interfere with your day-to-day activities, there are several exercises that can help. Before going over these exercises, keep in mind there are two types of vertigo:
- Peripheral vertigo caused by dysfunction in the inner ear or vestibular nerve
- Central vertigo caused by a disorder in the brain
Vertigo exercises treat peripheral vertigo induced by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Small calcium carbonate crystals from another portion of your ear enter the semicircular canal of your inner ear, causing this ailment. These workouts aid in crystal reduction. However, these exercises will not work for central vertigo.
Following are the exercises that will help you strengthen your balance and cope with symptoms of vertigo. You can easily perform these exercises at your home.
Brandt-Daroff Exercise
This exercise is most commonly used for BPPV and thus helps to reduce the symptoms of vertigo.
- Take a seat at the foot side of your bed. Turn your head 45 degrees to the right when you are ready.
- Lie down on your left side for 30 seconds until the dizziness subsides
- Wait for 30 seconds after sitting up
- Make a 45-degree left turn with your head
- Lie down on your right side for 30 seconds, until the dizziness subsides
Semont Maneuver
Another BPPV exercise is the semont maneuver, sometimes known as liberatory maneuver. It takes a little less time than the Brandt-Daroff exercises, but it is ideal to practice it under your healthcare provider’s supervision.
If you experience BPPV in your left ear, perform the following actions:
- Turn your head 45-degrees to the right while sitting upright on the edge of the bed
- Drop to your left slowly till your head is on the bed
- After 1 minute of holding, quickly move your body to the right side in one motion. Keep your head in the same position.
- After one minute of holding, return to the starting position slowly
- Turn your head to the left and drop on your right side first if you experience BPPV in your right ear
Epley Maneuver
Another popular vertigo exercise is the Epley technique. The original Epley maneuver necessitates the help of a health care provider. However, you can do the changed version below at your home. The home Epley maneuver is the name for this variation.
Follow these steps if you have BPPV in your left ear. Complete the steps in the opposite direction from your right ear.
- In bed, sit up straight. Place a pillow behind you and your legs straight ahead. Make a 45-degree left turn with your head.
- Quickly lie back until your shoulders are resting on the pillow. Allow 30 seconds after your dizziness has subsided.
- Without lifting your head, turn it 90 degrees to the right. Hold the position for 30 seconds.
- Turn your body to the right side and lie down. Allow 30 seconds after the dizziness has subsided. Sit up straight on the bed’s right edge.
Take your time to complete these exercises safely. Between each activity, wait 30 seconds or until the dizziness leaves. Before rising, wait at least 30 seconds. Before doing these workouts, it’s also a good idea to receive a professional diagnosis. If BPPV did not cause your vertigo, these movements could make things worse.
How Vertigo Exercises Improve the Symptoms?
These vertigo exercise techniques aim to transport calcium carbonate particles from the semicircular canals back to the vestibule’s otolith organs, where they are less prone to induce inner ear problems. These vertigo exercises help you improve and maintain your equilibrium. Start slowly with each exercise.
You can gradually try to complete the exercise for a longer period or with more repetitions as time goes on. It’s crucial to have someone with you when you first start out, in case you feel you are about to fall. However, you may execute some exercises on your own as you advance.
Medical Alternatives
If you have limited mobility because of some reason, Cawthorne exercises are the best alternative to the vertigo exercises to cope with the symptoms of vertigo. These exercises include moving head and eyes around to engage control over them. You can practice the movements by yourself at your home.
- Eye movements: Move your eyes from side to side, then up and down, without moving your head. Repeat 10 times more. Begin slowly and escalate your speed.
- Head movements: Slowly move your head from side to side and up and down. Keep your eyes open. Repeat 10-20 times, starting gently and escalating your speed as you gain confidence.
- Shoulder shrugs: In a seated position, shrug your shoulders up and down. Repeat this 10-20 times.
Common Mistakes
- When doing these exercises, don’t rush because it could make your dizziness worse. Instead, take your time and go over each exercise many times.
- If you do these exercises once every few weeks, you will not get enough benefit. Instead, try to do these exercises once or twice each day.
- In order for these exercises to work, you must treat the correct ear. To properly treat first, identify the correct ear. You can determine this through BPPV testing.
- The BPPV crystals are free-floating in the posterior canal of the ear. However, these crystals may adhere to the sensory apparatus termed the “ Capula” within the semicircular inner canal. This is a condition of BPPV we call Cupulolithiasis. It is possible to break these crystals, but these exercises will not work in this condition.
The last word on vertigo exercises
They designed vertigo exercises to relieve the symptoms of peripheral vertigo induced by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). These exercise helps to transport calcium carbonate particles from the semicircular canals back to the vestibule’s otolith organs, where they are less prone to induce inner ear problems. These exercises help you improve and maintain your equilibrium.
You can easily perform these exercises at home, but it’s crucial to have someone with you in case you feel dizzy. For these exercises to work, you must identify the correct ear. You can do this through the BPPV test. These exercises will also help you strengthen your balance.
