How Occupational Therapy Is Useful In Treating Vertigo

If a car accident left you with long-term injuries and permanent mobility issues, the compensation you received from the insurance company might have included money for occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is not the same thing as physical therapy, but it can serve a vital role for people with a variety of different health and mobility issues caused by car accidents. Vertigo is one health problem occupational therapy can help with. If your car accident left you with this condition, you may find some relief by seeking help from an occupational therapist.

What Is Vertigo?

Vertigo is a sensation that causes a person to feel dizzy or imbalanced. It occurs when there are problems in the inner ear, and this condition is often known as vestibular neuritis. Vestibular neuritis can be caused from trauma experienced during a car accident, and it causes inflammation around the nerves in the inner ear.

If you are suffering from vertigo, it might be hard to find relief. You may experience the dizzy spells when you are sitting, lying down, or walking, and this problem can diminish your quality of life. There are a variety of ways doctors can treat vertigo, and one option is through occupational therapy.

How Can Occupational Therapy Help?

Occupational therapy is a form of therapy used to help improve the quality of a person's life. This can involve helping people move easier, and teaching people how to complete normal daily tasks they are no longer able to do alone. In addition, it can be used to reduce the symptoms of vertigo.

When used for treating vertigo, occupational therapy is often referred to as vestibular rehabilitation. This type of therapy uses a variety of techniques to decrease the symptoms of vertigo, including:

• Exercises – Through exercise, occupational therapy can help desensitize a person's symptoms of vertigo. As a person moves during these exercises, the person's brain may begin to compensate for the feelings of imbalance. Eventually, this could cause the symptoms to disappear.
• Balancing activities – In addition to exercising, an occupational therapist will help you perform balancing exercises. These are things you will do during your dizzy spells, and these too can help desensitize your brain to the feelings of dizziness.

You may be instructed to complete some of these activities at home, and you should follow these instructions so you can experience good results faster.

Occupational therapy can be very useful in treating vertigo. If you are ready to get help for this condition, contact a center that offers occupational therapy, like Advanced Physical Therapy Of South Jersey.