Traditional vertigo exercises focus on eye and head movements. They sometimes help.
A new approach is revealed in a new study in the Brazilian Academy of Neurology’s journal.
They use balance exercises but in quite a different way.
And the results are much better.
Peripheral vestibular hypofunction (PVH) is a stubborn form of vertigo. It affects the inner ear’s balance system.
The new study compared three groups:
- Traditional vestibular exercises. Focuses on eye and head movements to retrain the inner ear balance system.
- New combined exercises. Uses traditional vestibular exercises. Adds body awareness training to help patients sense their body’s position in space.
- No exercises (control group)
Results:
The Combined exercise group…
1. Showed the biggest improvements in balance and posture.
2. Had better body awareness and movement sensitivity.
3. Reported the largest boost in quality of life.
Both exercise groups improved more than the control group.
The study suggests that adding body awareness exercises to traditional vestibular rehabilitation could is effective for treating PVH.