What is vestibular rehabilitation?
Your vestibular system is the balance apparatus inside your inner ear. It works together with your eyes, neck, and brain to tell your body where it is in space, how you stay upright, keep your gaze steady while your head moves, and walk through a busy room without feeling like the floor is shifting under you.
Vestibular rehabilitation is a specialized form of physical therapy that retrains that system when it isn't working correctly. Using targeted, progressive exercises, a vestibular-trained therapist helps your brain and inner ear recalibrate, reducing dizziness and imbalance so you're not constantly compensating for it just to get through your day.
Common vestibular diagnoses we treat
- BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo)
- Vestibular hypofunction — reduced function in one or both inner ears
- Vestibular neuritis / labyrinthitis
- Post-concussion vestibular dysfunction
- Cervicogenic dizziness — dizziness caused by the neck rather than the inner ear
Signs you may need vestibular rehab
- Dizziness or a spinning sensation (vertigo)
- Feeling unsteady, off-balance, or like you might fall
- Blurred or jumpy vision when you move your head
- Nausea tied to movement or changing position
- Trouble in visually busy places — grocery stores, traffic, crowds
- Dizziness triggered by rolling over in bed or looking up
How treatment works
Getting evaluated early matters — the longer dizziness goes untreated, the more the brain builds compensations that can be harder to unwind later. Treatment starts with pinpointing what's actually driving your symptoms, since a BPPV case and a vestibular hypofunction case are treated very differently.
- Assess — identify which system (inner ear, neck, vision, or a combination) is behind your symptoms
- Treat — targeted exercises and, when appropriate, repositioning maneuvers to directly address the cause
- Retrain — gradual, controlled exposure to the movements and environments that trigger your symptoms, so your brain adapts instead of overreacting
- Progress — advancing to real-world balance and movement challenges as symptoms settle
Types of exercises we use
- Canalith repositioning maneuvers — such as the Epley maneuver, used to treat BPPV by moving displaced inner-ear crystals back into place
- Gaze stabilization exercises — retraining the reflex that keeps your vision steady while your head is moving
- Habituation exercises — repeated, controlled exposure to your specific dizziness triggers until your brain stops overreacting to them
- Balance and postural training — standing and moving on varied surfaces, with added visual or cognitive challenges, to rebuild real-world stability
- Cervical (neck) treatment — manual therapy and exercise, since neck dysfunction is a common and often missed driver of dizziness
Frequently Asked Questions
This is your sub-headline
An evaluation with a vestibular-trained therapist can identify whether your symptoms are coming from the inner ear, your neck, your vision, or a combination — which matters because each is treated differently.
BPPV is caused by displaced crystals in the inner ear and typically causes brief, intense vertigo with specific head movements. Vestibular hypofunction is reduced function in the inner ear itself, causing more constant imbalance and visual instability with movement. They're treated with different techniques, so an accurate diagnosis matters.
No. Valor is a cash-based clinic, so you can schedule an evaluation directly without a referral or insurance authorization.
It varies by diagnosis — some cases of BPPV resolve in one or two visits, while vestibular hypofunction or post-concussion dizziness often takes several weeks of progressive exercise. Your evaluation will give you a clearer timeline specific to your case.
No. Vestibular rehab treats dizziness and imbalance from many causes, including BPPV, inner ear infections, migraines, and age-related changes, not just concussions.
Yes. Addressing imbalance and vestibular function is one of the most effective ways to reduce fall risk, since so many falls in older adults are tied to an undiagnosed vestibular or balance issue rather than simple weakness.
