Balance and Vestibular Rehabilitation

At Henry Ford Health, our vestibular (balance) therapists help you perform daily activities safely and with more confidence. We help you regain mobility and stability while reducing your risk for falls and injuries.

Balance and vestibular therapy: Why choose Henry Ford?

Highlights of our balance and vestibular therapy program include:

• Skilled providers: Some of our occupational therapists and physical therapists are Brain Injury Certified through the American Brain Injury Association (ABIA). This training helps us address balance issues related to brain injuries. We also have experts with advanced training in vestibular therapy, ensuring you receive care from highly qualified providers.
• Virtual care: We offer one-on-one online appointments for many types of vestibular therapy. Virtual visits are a convenient way for you to get the care you need from the comfort of home.
• Coordinated care: Your therapist works closely with your referring neurologist, otolaryngologist or primary care provider. This collaboration ensures your entire care team stays updated on your challenges and progress. We adjust your treatment plan as needed.

Conditions we treat

You may develop poor balance with age, or if there’s pressure on the vestibular nerve. Damage to your temporal lobe or displacement of tiny crystals in the ear (otoconia) can also cause vestibular issues.

At Henry Ford, we treat a wide range of conditions that may affect your brain’s balance center, including:

• Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) or positional vertigo
• Chronic dizziness
• Concussion or head injury
• Inner ear dysfunction
• Ménière’s disease
• Stroke
• Vestibular neuritis (disorder affecting a nerve in the inner ear)

Treatments we offer

We may recommend a combination of physical therapy and occupational therapy for balance and vestibular disorders. Treatments include:

• Fall prevention: Therapists evaluate your fall risk and provide equipment or techniques to increase your safety and stability.
• Gait and balance training: Therapists work on your posture, as well as the way you walk, stand and bend. We help you change your body mechanics to reduce balance problems.
• Habituation exercises: We use repetition to teach the brain not to trigger dizziness with certain movements.
• Head repositioning maneuvers: We move your head in different ways to relocate displaced ear crystals. Crystals will often shift to areas of the ear where they don’t cause vertigo or dizziness.
• Sensory-motor retraining: We help you respond to stimuli, such as a moving object, in safe ways. Therapists teach adaptation strategies to maintain your balance and stability.
• Visual and vestibular exercises: Gaze stabilization exercises involving the head, neck, shoulders and eyes can help reduce feelings of dizziness.