Download Vestibular Rehabilitation

IMG PHYSICAL THERAPY
805 N. Richmond St., Suite 103 Fleetwood, PA 19522
IMGPT.COM
610-944-8140
Chris Gordos, DPT Center Manager
Eric Parrish, MPT Staff Therapist
Vestibular Rehabilitation Home Exercise Program
Balance is affected by several systems: the vestibular system, the somatosensory system and
the visual system. Any one of these systems can malfunction and lead to dizziness, problems walking,
imbalance and falls. The vestibular system is located in the ear. When the vestibular organs are
damaged by disease or injury, the brain will receive inaccurate or incomplete information about
equilibrium and motion.
Physical Therapy can address the dizziness, vertigo, balance problems and other symptoms you
experience though individualized treatment plans.
The goal of vestibular rehabilitation is to retrain the brain to recognize and process signals from
the vestibular system and coordinate them with vision and joint sensation (proprioception).
When you are exercising on your own there are some things to remember . . .

Consult your Physician or Physical Therapist if any problems arise or if you have any questions
regarding an exercise. It is better to make sure that you are doing an exercise correctly than to
cause further injury by doing an exercise incorrectly.

Perform all exercises while holding a chair or counter-top for support. If your symptoms
increase or you become unstable, pause until your head clears, then continue. If your
symptoms do not resolve, sit in a firm chair with your feet placed on the floor and focus your
eyes on a place on the wall until symptoms resolve.

For gaze stabilization and habituation exercises sit in a chair with feet placed on floor.
These exercises are to be done 1-2 times per day.
Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular Ocular Reflex (VOR x1)
1. Hold pen at arm’s length and move it side to side three times, tracking the pen with your eyes only.
Repeat for 30 seconds. Progress exercise to 2 minutes.
2. Hold a pen at arm’s length and move it up and down three times, tracking the pen with your eyes only.
Repeat for 30 seconds. Progress exercise to 2 minutes.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation
Vestibular Ocular Reflex (VOR x2)
1. Keeping a pen at arm’s length, rotate head back and forth three times, while keeping eyes focused on the
pen. Repeat for 30 seconds. Progress exercise to 2 minutes.
2. Keeping a pen at arm’s length, nod head up and down three times, while keeping eyes focused on the pen.
Repeat for 30 seconds. Progress exercise to 2 minutes.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation
Habituation exercises
1. Sit in a firm chair and place your feet on the floor. Lean over and try to touch your nose to your right knee.
Return to upright sitting. Wait for dizziness/spinning to return to normal. Repeat 15 times. Progress to 30
repetitions.
2. Sit in a firm chair and place your feet on the floor. Lean over and try to touch your nose to your left knee.
Return to upright sitting. Wait for dizziness/spinning to return to normal. . Repeat 15 times. Progress to 30
repetitions.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation
Habituation exercises
3. Lie flat on your back on a firm bed, floor or couch. Sit up with your legs outstretched. Wait for
dizziness/spinning to return to normal. Return to lying flat. Repeat 15 times. Progress to 30 repetitions.
4. Lie flat on your back on a firm bed, floor or couch. Roll to left/right with legs outstretched. Wait for
dizziness/spinning to return to normal. Return to lying flat. . Repeat 15 times. Progress to 30 repetitions.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation
Habituation exercises
5. Stand on a firm surface. Perform head turns to right and left in rapid succession. Repeat 15 times.
Progress to 30 repetitions.
6. Stand on a firm surface. Perform nod head up and down in rapid succession. . Repeat 15 times.
Progress to 30 repetitions.
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Vestibular Rehabilitation
Habituation exercises
7. Stand on a firm surface. Turn to left/right in complete circle as quickly as possible. . Repeat 15 times.
Progress to 30 repetitions.
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