Physio treatment for vertigo can help reduce the false sense of motion that occurs with this condition. Here are my top 7 physio exercises for vertigo that I use often with my patients.
The Best Physio Exercises for Vertigo include:
- Gaze Stabilisation Exercise
- Epley Maneuver
- Semont Maneuver
- Foster Maneuver
- Brandt-Daroff Exercise
- Romberg Exercise
- Standing Sway Exercise
What Is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the sensation of dizziness or spinning, even if a person is standing still. This false sense of motion can make it feel as if the settings around you are spinning.
Vertigo can be disorienting and disrupt an individual’s ability to go about daily life. It often includes other symptoms, such as ringing in the ears, balance issues, and nausea.
There are two main types of vertigo:
- Central Vertigo — Central vertigo results from a brain-related issue and accounts for approximately 20% of vertigo cases.
- Peripheral Vertigo — Results from inner ear issues, with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) being the most common cause of peripheral vertigo. BPPV is a result of displaced calcium-carbonate crystals inside the ear. These displaced crystals affect balance.
How Physio Helps with Vertigo
Vertigo physio and rehab can help a person reduce and manage symptoms.
Exercises for vertigo can be especially beneficial for individuals with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Certain exercises can help redistribute the crystals in the inner ear, promoting improved balance and a reduction in vertigo symptoms.
I always emphasise working with your doctor to determine the cause of your vertigo.
While vertigo caused by BPPV may respond well to physio exercises, other causes of vertigo may require a different treatment approach.
Our Top 7 Physio Exercises for Vertigo
Before starting these exercises, consult with a healthcare professional, take your time during each exercise, and wait 30 seconds between each movement. If you experience dizziness, let it pass before trying to stand up. I recommend completing these exercises under the supervision of a trained physiotherapist or healthcare professional.
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Gaze Stabilisation Exercises
The goal of gaze stabilisation exercises is to help the eyes work independently of head movements.
Benefits:
- Help improve your stability
- Train your eye muscles to help reduce dizziness
- Improve balance
How to do gaze stabilisation exercises:
- Fix your eyes on an object straight ahead of you at eye level
- Turn your head side to side while keeping your eyes focused on the object in front of you
- Start slowly and work up to turning your head at a slightly faster pace
- Work your way up to doing this for up to 1 minute
- To switch it up, move your eyes up and down while fixing your gaze on the object
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Epley Maneuver
This common physio vertigo treatment is particularly effective for reducing symptoms of BPPV. It is considered by many physiotherapists to be one of the most effective exercises for vertigo and it is one of the moves I use the most in my practice.
Benefits:
- Improve balance
- Manage symptoms of vertigo
How to do the Epley maneuver (for left-ear BPPV):
- Sit upright in a bed with a pillow behind you
- Position your legs so they are straight ahead of you
- Turn your head 45 degrees to your left
- Lie back quickly but carefully until your shoulders are on the pillow
- Allow any dizziness to subside and then hold the position for 30 seconds
- Without lifting your head, turn it 90 degrees to your right
- Hold this position for 30 seconds
- Turn your body until you are lying on your right side
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Return carefully and slowly until you are sitting upright on the right edge of the bed
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Repeat on the opposite side up to 3 times a day
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Semont Maneuver
The Semont maneuver is an exercise I use often for physio treatment for vertigo. It can be extremely effective in alleviating symptoms of vertigo caused by BPPV. Performing this exercise requires the knowledge of which ear causes your vertigo.
Benefits:
- Address the root cause of BPPV
- Helps shift calcium carbonate particles in the inner ear to reduce vertigo symptoms
- Reduce the risk of falls
- Help reduce dizzy spells
How to do the Semont maneuver (using left ear vertigo as an example):
- Sit on the edge of a bed
- Turn your head 45 degrees to your right
- Carefully but quickly lie down onto your left side
- Hold this position for 30 seconds
- Quickly shift to lie down on the opposite end of your bed without changing the direction of your head
- Maintain a 45 degree angle and hold for 30 seconds with your face down
- Slowly return to the sitting position you started in
- Wait several minutes before standing
- Repeat the steps for your right ear
- This move can be done up to 3 times a day or according to your healthcare provider’s recommendations
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Foster Maneuver
The Foster maneuver is another popular physio treatment for vertigo. Also known as the half somersault, it needs to be completed based on whether you have right or left-ear BPPV.
Out of the physio exercises for vertigo in this list, I’d say this move is the hardest to complete at home. Many of my patients prefer other vertigo exercises that are easier to complete. The Foster maneuver position can be awkward and even dangerous for individuals who lack the necessary flexibility and strength. While this vertigo exercise is effective, I prefer teaching the Semont maneuver and the Epley maneuver for home use.
Benefits:
- Reduce symptoms of vertigo, such as dizzy spells
- Improve balance
- Build coordination
How to do the Foster maneuver:
- Kneel down with your hands on the floor
- Tilt your head up toward the ceiling
- Wait for any dizziness to pass before proceeding
- Carefully lower your forehead until it is on the floor (keep your chin tucked toward your knees)
- Turn your head 45 degrees so your face is toward your left elbow
- Hold this position for 30 seconds
- Keep your head at 45 degrees and raise it until it is level with your shoulders and back
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Raise your head slowly until is is fully upright and return to the starting position
- Repeat this exercise 3 or 4 times until you notice relief (be sure to wait 15 minutes in between)
Brandt-Daroff Exercises
The Brandt-Daroff exercise is a well-known move that can help combat symptoms of vertigo. This exercise focuses on alternating between sitting and lying down and uses the power of gravity to reposition crystals in the inner ear.
Benefits:
- Reduce symptoms of dizziness
- Uses gravity to help clear crystals out of the semicircular canal
How to do Brandt-Daroff exercises:
- Sit upright on the edge of a bed
- Turn your head 45 degrees to the right
- Lie down on the left side of your body while keeping your head at the same angle
- Hold for 30 seconds
- Slowly return to the starting position with your head in the center
- Repeat on the opposite side
- Complete 1 to 5 reps on each side
- Allow any dizziness to pass before standing back up
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Romberg Exercise
The Romberg Exercise aims to help the body manage vertigo so the symptoms aren’t as intense. Even if you do not have symptoms of vertigo, this is an excellent exercise for promoting better balance.
Benefits:
- Help improve symptoms of vertigo
- Improve balance
How to do the Romberg exercise:
- Stand upright, making sure you have a wall behind you and a chair in front of you for support if you start to fall
- Feet should be together with arms resting at your side (or crossed)
- Close your eyes if you are safely able to
- Hold the position for 30 seconds
- Repeat 2 to 3 times a day
- For an added challenge, slowly raise and lower your chin as you are standing with your eyes closed
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Standing Sway Exercise
The standing sway exercise is a step up in difficulty from the Romberg exercise. If the Romberg exercise feels too easy, try this slightly harder vertigo exercise. The standing sway exercise helps improve the body’s ability to deal with vertigo symptoms while also improving balance. While other physio exercises for vertigo aim to reposition crystals in the inner ear that trigger vertigo symptoms, the standing sway exercise helps the body cope with symptoms.
How to do standing sway exercises:
- Stand with a wall behind you (or a chair in front of you) to act as support if you get dizzy or lose your balance
- Keep feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your side
- Carefully lean slightly forward and then backward
- You can also sway left to right
- Your toes and heels should stay flat on the floor as you sway
- The hips and shoulders should move as one (avoid bending at the hip)
- Gradually work up to swaying further to continue challenging and improving your balance
- Repeat this vertigo exercise about 15 to 20 times or as recommended by your physiotherapist
Vertigo Physio Experts in Perth
Physio for vertigo can be an effective way to reduce and manage symptoms such as dizziness.
Our expert physiotherapists are dedicated to helping you regain confidence and function as you go about your daily life.
If you are dealing with vertigo and looking for relief and support, contact our team to book an appointment at one of our convenient Perth locations.
