Dizziness Treatment to Restore Balance
Dizziness is a common symptom affecting your balance, mobility, and daily life. Often described as an off-balance feeling or a spinning of either themselves or the room, dizziness can be caused by various factors.
At Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic, our vestibular physiotherapist can assess your balance, vestibular or dizziness disorder to uncover the root cause. We provide effective dizziness treatment grounded in years of ongoing training and experience informed by the latest research.
Dizziness can impact your life, let us help you fix the issues.
What is Dizziness?
The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear (semi-circular canals) and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. Disease or injury can damage these processing areas, and vestibular disorders can result. Vestibular disorders can also result from or be worsened by genetic or environmental conditions, or occur for unknown reasons.
The most commonly diagnosed vestibular disorders include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis, Ménière’s disease, and secondary endolymphatic hydrops.
Vestibular disorders also include superior semicircular canal dehiscence, acoustic neuroma, perilymph fistula, persistent postural perceptual dizziness, ototoxicity, enlarged vestibular aqueduct, migraine-associated vertigo, and Mal de Débarquement. Other problems related to vestibular dysfunction include complications from aging, autoimmune disorders, and allergies.
Safe & Fast
All techniques involve targeted, slow and sustained pressure. There is NO manipulation (cracking) of the spine.
Effective
80% of people assessed have treatable and relevant dysfunction. Most of these will see significant changes in the first two weeks.
100% Natural
No drugs, needles, toxic chemicals or side-effects. Just correcting a previously misunderstood fault in biomechanics.
Dizziness Symptoms
Dizziness presents differently for everyone. Common signs associated with dizziness include:
- Feeling lightheaded or faint
- Unsteadiness or imbalance
- Blurred or bouncing vision
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headaches or migraines
- Sensitivity to motion
- Neck tightness or pain
- Fatigue, brain fog or feeling spaced out
Dizzy spells can be unpredictable and persist for days, often worsening with sudden movements, extensive visual stimuli, or standing up too quickly. Without proper treatment for dizziness, it can affect quality of life and mobility while increasing fall risk.
What Causes Dizziness?
There are many possible causes of dizziness, and accurate diagnosis is key to effective treatment. At our dizziness clinic, we often see the following causes:
- Vestibular disorders
- Brain and nerve-related disorders
- Fluid buildup in the inner ear canal
- Neck stiffness, poor posture, or whiplash
- Low blood pressure
- Migraine
- Low blood sugar
- Dehydration or heat exhaustion
- Motion or travel sickness
- Anaemia
Vestibular Disorders
The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear (semi-circular canals) and brain that process the sensory information involved with controlling balance, eye movements, and spatial orientation. Injuries or infections in the inner ear can result in intense dizziness.
The types of vestibular disorders include:
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
Caused by loose crystals in the inner ear canal interfering with the fluid flow within the canals, creating brief episodes of spinning when changing head position.
Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction (BVH)
Presents when the vestibular system is affected on both sides, affecting the ability to maintain stable gaze and posture. Individuals with this condition may experience oscillopsia (blurred or “jumpy” visions, especially with head movement), imbalance, and postural instability.
The cause of this BVH can be linked to:
- Ototoxicity (hearing or balance problems due to medication, usually gentamicin or other aminoglycosides)
- Ménière’s disease (a chronic inner ear disorder affecting your sense of balance and hearing)
- Labyrinthitis (inner ear inflammation caused by viral infections)
- Meningitis (inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord)
- Autoimmune diseases
- Iatrogenic damage due to cochlear implantation or other surgical procedures
Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction (UVH)
One of the inner ear’s vestibular systems is impaired. Patients with acute peripheral unilateral hypofunction (UVH) complain of vertigo and dizziness and show posture imbalance and gaze instability.
Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
When dizziness presents as swaying or rocking rather than spinning. This can worsen in an upright position, with motion of the body, moving stimuli (such as in crowds), and when processing excessive visual information. Patients experiencing PPPD also frequently complain of difficulty focusing and brain fog.
Dizziness Triggers
- Quick head movements
- Rolling over in bed or bending down
- Dehydration or not eating enough
- Crowded or visually busy surroundings
- Sudden standing or position changes
- Stress, anxiety or fatigue
- Extensive screen use
- Sleep deprivation
Diagnosing Dizziness
Considerable expertise is required to differentiate between the possible causes, to identify whether your dizzy spells are peripheral or central, and to introduce the right dizziness or vertigo treatment.
At Bangalow Headache Neck & Jaw Clinic, we begin with an initial assessment, which takes at least an hour to review your symptoms and pinpoint the specific cause. Our process involves careful questioning and a series of tests. Using infrared goggles, we record eye movement to ensure accurate diagnosis.
- Peripheral: Can manifest as vertigo and focuses on identifying which inner ear canal is causing dizziness.
- Central: Tracking eye flicking, patterns, and movement, such as nystagmus (an involuntary, rhythmic, and rapid movement of the eyes).
Our dizziness clinic also assesses if your symptoms are related to neck dysfunctions in the cervical spine or brain programming.
Dizziness Treatment Options
Vestibular Physiotherapy
Vestibular physio is a tailored rehabilitation program to retrain your brain and improve balance. It includes:
- Gaze stabilisation exercises
- Balance and coordination retraining
- Gradual exposure to triggers
- Strength and movement coaching
Repositioning Maneuvers
If you have BPPV, repositioning maneuvers like the Epley or Semont are highly effective. These gentle, guided head movements shift the crystals out of the inner ear canals, usually resolving symptoms in 1 to 3 sessions.
Cervical Physiotherapy
Often stemming from the upper neck, our dizziness physio uses gentle, sustained pressure to correct mechanical faults. Our treatment may also include posture correction, movement retraining, and targeted exercises to strengthen surrounding structures.
CASE STUDY VERTIGO
Patient Presenting History
The patient presented reporting onset of vertigo (‘off balance’) one day earlier. This was triggered by looking up and to the right. Nausea was reported on the day of presentation.
The patient reported her vertigo was aggravated by rolling to either left or right in bed or looking up to the right and eased by staying still.
A vestibular physiotherapy examination involving a number of tests (including the use of infra-red goggles to track eye movement) determined this was a centrally driven cause of vertigo. Additionally the patient also reported a stiff neck and demonstrated a mild reduction in movement.
After one physiotherapy treatment to her neck she reported nil neck stiffness and demonstrated full range neck movements without restriction. Vestibular physiotherapy tests were also less provocative of the ‘off balance’ symptoms.
On the 2nd and final treatment the patient presented reporting she felt less ‘off balance’ post treatment.
Vestibular physiotherapy testing revealed her vestibular system and her eyes were not working together well on her left side. We used a one sided vestibular physiotherapy technique which cleared all remaining symptoms. Further vestibular physiotherapy tests were all clear. She was able to roll over in bed and look up to either direction without vestibular symptoms.
The patient was discharged with vestibular physiotherapy exercises.
Why Seek Tailored Treatment for Dizziness?
Ignoring dizziness can lead to serious complications. Over 65% of people facing BPPV undergo unnecessary testing before getting an accurate diagnosis, and many people bounce between practitioners without answers.
Our dizzy clinic provides clear diagnosis, evidence-based, individualised care plans, and ongoing support. If we believe additional medical input is needed, we’ll guide you through that process. From there, we’ll outline a treatment plan for lasting relief.
Bangalow’s Trusted Physio for Dizziness
With over 34 years of clinical experience, our lead dizziness physio, Michael Hayward, brings deep expertise in treating dizziness, vertigo, and balance issues. He has trained under global leaders in vestibular physiotherapy, including Richard Clendaniel and Susan Herdman. Michael combines advanced biomechanical knowledge with hands-on care to deliver accurate assessments and targeted treatment tailored to each person.
We also treat...
Our experts treat a number of headache and jaw pain issues, and have a high level of knowledge and experience with any pain you may be suffering from.
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Dizziness Treatment FAQs
Yes, eye issues can sometimes contribute to dizziness, primarily when associated with difficulty focusing, eye strain, or changes in vision. Problems with visual processing can affect balance and spatial awareness. If your dizziness worsens with screen time, reading, or in visually busy environments, book an appointment with our physio for dizziness to accurately assess visual factors alongside vestibular or neck-related causes.
Seeking professional help is beneficial, especially if dizziness is frequent, worsens over time, or affects your daily life. Red flags that require immediate attention include sudden onset, difficulty walking, slurred speech, hearing loss, fainting, or severe headaches. We can help pinpoint the cause and offer targeted dizziness treatment to reduce frequency and restore balance.
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Book Your Assessment at Our Dizziness Clinic
Tired of the uncertainty, discomfort, or disruption caused by ongoing dizzy spells? We’re here to help with effective, drug-free dizziness treatment in Bangalow. With a detailed assessment, accurate resolutions, and treatment grounded in the latest research, we aim to restore your balance. Book an appointment today with our physio for dizziness.
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