Vestibular Therapy is a specialty within physical therapy which uses manual and movement exercises to decrease or eliminate dizziness and vertigo as well as improve balance.
There are many possible causes of dizziness and the first step in treatment is to see a doctor, most commonly a neurologist or an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT). Once a doctor determines if the cause of your problem is central (having to do with the brain) or peripheral (dealing with the inner ear) they may prescribe physical therapy, or more specifically, Vestibular Therapy to treat the problem. Not all causes of dizziness are treatable with Vestibular Therapy and your doctor must rule out serious conditions that may need other types of medical treatment.
Types of conditions that a physical therapist trained in vestibular therapy may treat are: dizziness after a stroke, inner ear infections (Labyrinthitis and Neuronitis), Meniere's Disease, Acoustic Neuromas, or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. B.P.P.V., as it is more commonly called, is a type of vertigo that is intense and always set off by a positional change, such as lying down or rolling to the side in bed. This type of vertigo is usually completely gone after one or two treatments.